Hearts will embark on their second consecutive European adventure at the beginning of next season after a whirlwind campaign saw them finish fourth in the Scottish Premiership.
A disappointing second half to the season saw Hearts fall from an almost-guaranteed third-placed finish into fourth, and bar a solid defensive performance against local rivals Hibs on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season, they would have suffered the ignominy of finishing fifth.
It’s all change at Tynecastle, with Steven Naismith confirmed permanently as part of a new management team that will be paramount to their success, and if they can convince some quality new signings through the door in Gorgie, they stand a decent chance of making a fist of the qualification process.
READ MORE: Hearts vs Hibs full-time derby chaos as Tynecastle rammy sees players and staff clash in ugly scenes
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The continental campaign last time out saw them pick up six points, which meant that Fiorentina and İstanbul Başakşehir finished ahead of them, putting their stint in- the Europa Conference League to an anti-climactic end. But those experiences could play key as they bid to successfully navigate the two-legged ties in order to reach the tournament proper.
Edinburgh Live gives you all of the key details you need to know ahead of the qualifying route taking its path.
Which qualifying round will Hearts enter?
Hearts have been handed a major boost by Celtic's Scottish Cup win over Inverness at Hampden.
Finishing fourth in the league initially meant they would enter the second qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. This is the round that Motherwell entered last season, only to be humbled 3-0 on aggregate by Irish side Sligo Rovers.
However, they now get a bump into the third qualifying round with Hibs taking their place in the second. Aberdeen are the big beneficiaries with a Europa League play-of spot and guaranteed group stage football up until Christmas - a luxury enjoyed by the Gorgie side last term.
The draw date for this round comes on July 24, with the first and second legs taking place on 10 August and 17 August respectively.
Play-off round
Should Hearts prevail victorious at this stage, they would then enter the play-off round of the Europa Conference League.
The draw will already be made for them before they kick off the previous round, with those ties taking place on August 24 and August 31 respectively. A win on aggregate at this stage would mean they qualify for the group stages.
Europa Conference League group stages
Should Hearts battle through to the group stages, this is where things would get exciting. Having faced giants such as Fiorentina and Istanbul Basaksehir at this point last season, they could embark on trips elsewhere across the continent with fans making lifelong memories as a result.
The draw would be made on September 1, with the game weeks as follows:
21 September: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 1
5 October: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 2
26 October: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 3
9 November: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 4
30 November: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 5
14 December: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 6
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