Europa League 26/27 playoff draw: Hearts potential opponents plus TV and streaming details

Hearts will discover which side they could face next in their quest to qualify for the Europa League with the draw for the playoff set to get underway early next week.

Having lost their Champions League qualifier against Sturm Graz last month, the Jambos were placed into the Europa League qualifiers and were drawn against Benfica in the third round. Just two steps away from qualifying for the League Phase of the Europa League, Wouter Vrancken’s side will be hoping to spring a surprise against the Portuguese giants.

Set to jet off to the Estadio da Luz for the first leg on August 6, they will then welcome Benfica to Tynecastle for the second leg a week later. Should they win, they’ll enter the playoff stage and be just one two-legged tie away from qualifying for the Europa League proper. However, should they lose, the European campaign would not grind to an immediate halt, with Hearts immediately dropping into the Conference League playoffs.

Want to know who Hearts could face in their Europa League playoff? Here is everything you need to know about the draw, and how to watch it live:

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Hearts head coach Wouter Vrancken is hoping to lead his side into the Europa League this season. Cr: SNS Group. | SNS Group

When is Europa League playoff draw?

The Europa League playoff qualifying draw takes place on Monday, August 3, and will take place in Nyon, Switzerland.

Where can I watch the Europa League playoff draw?

UEFA say the seedings, any groupings and the procedure will be available here from 7.30am UK time on the day of the draw. The draw begins at 12pm UK time, but will not be broadcast on TV. However, it can be streamed via the UEFA website or their YouTube channel.

Who could Hearts face in Europa League playoff?

Hearts will play in the Europa League playoff round if they can beat Benfica in the third qualifying round. This means they will draw one of the unseeded teams/pairings. UEFA will narrow this pool down into smaller sub-groups as of Monday, 3 August 2026.

As it stands, Hearts could face any of the following:

• Sint-Truiden
• Trabzonspor
• Lillestrom
• OFI Crete
• Hapoel Be'er Sheva or Crvena zvezda
• Knattspyrnufélagið Vikingur or FC Thun
• Larne or Iberia 1999
• Levski Sofia or Kairat Almaty
• Aramat Armenia or Celje
• Sabah or AGF Aarhus
• Kauno Zalgiris or Dinamo Zagreb
• Mjallby or Slovan Bratislava

Want to know who Hearts could face if they lose in their Europa League third qualifying round game against Benfica? Full details on how to watch the Conference League playoff draw, where the Jambos would be unseeded, is available here.