Heart of Midlothian's Champions League second qualifying round clash with Sturm Graz has been scheduled, with both legs set for July.
Hearts will travel to Austria for the first leg on Tuesday, July 21, with kick-off at 8.30pm local time at the Merkur-Arena. The return fixture will take place at Tynecastle Park a week later on Tuesday, July 28, kicking off at 7.45pm.
European nights 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀 🤩 Confirmed: Our Champions League Q2 2nd leg tie against Sturm Graz at Tynecastle Park on Tues, 28th July will kick-off at 19.45. 1st leg: 🇦🇹 21.07.26, 20.30, Mercur-Arena 2nd leg: 🏴 28.07.26, 19.45, Tynecastle Park https://t.co/NvGy8NKUEn
— Heart of Midlothian FC (@JamTarts) June 19, 2026
The Jambos were paired with the Austrian runners-up in Wednesday’s draw and will have home advantage in the second leg after being drawn out second.
Sturm Graz had faced uncertainty over hosting the tie at their own stadium due to ongoing renovation work, but the club has since confirmed the Merkur-Arena will be ready in time.
The Edinburgh side had been keen to avoid Turkish giants Fenerbahce, the alternative opponent in the draw. That sentiment has only grown with Fenerbahce reportedly closing in on Mallorca striker Vedat Muriqi, who finished second in La Liga’s scoring charts last season behind Kylian Mbappe.
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Hearts are likely to receive an away allocation of around 1,349 tickets, in line with what was granted to Rangers and Nottingham Forest during their visits to Sturm in last season’s Europa League.
Following the European tie, Hearts will open their Scottish Premiership campaign away to Aberdeen, offering a demanding start for the club’s incoming head coach.
A successor to Derek McInnes is expected to be confirmed early next week after interviews were held in recent days.
