How Hearts and Hibs plus Aberdeen qualify for Europe…

How Hearts and Hibs plus Aberdeen qualify for Europe after Scottish Cup semi-final draw threw a curveball

The Scottish Cup semi-final draw offered no guarantees to the Premiership’s European hopefuls, but it would still take a monumental upset to deny one and affect the others.

Rangers or Celtic will contest the Scottish Cup Final against either Inverness CT or Falkirk. Only an all-Old Firm final would have set in stone the same qualification categories as last year. Hearts were guaranteed group stage football after beating rivals Hibs in the last four, safe in the knowledge that they were finishing third, with Celtic and Rangers – who went head-to-head in the other semi the following day – first and second.

This time around, Robbie Neilson’s team look set to finish best of the rest once again, but they have some work to do in order to make sure. The cup avenue was closed off to them at the weekend after Celtic cantered to a 3-0 Scottish Cup quarter-final victory at Tynecastle.

Hibs are five points behind their city rivals, with Aberdeen seven adrift ahead of the Jambos’ trip to Pittodrie this Saturday. St Mirren and Livingston are a point further back, so fourth or fifth is the more realistic target for them.

Just like last year though, fifth could well be enough to ensure the passports come out the drawer. Motherwell clinched it last term, but perhaps will wish they hadn’t after being dumped out at the first hurdle in the Europa Conference League by Sligo Rovers.

Despite at least one lower league club guaranteed to reach the Scottish Cup final, either Inverness or Falkirk would have to win the trophy to qualify for Europe. The rules were changed to prevent cup runners up qualifying for Europe ahead of those who finished third in the table. The cup winners go straight into the playoff round for the Europa League.

Because Rangers had already qualified for the Champions League last season, their spot went to third in the league which was Hearts, who also happened to be their opponents in the final. That meant in practice, those behind benefited. Dundee United, who finished fourth, went into the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League. Their first leg optimism was high after a 1-0 win, but they were brought crashing back to earth with a 7-0 drubbing in the Netherlands.

Should Thistle or the Bairns pull off one of the biggest cup final shocks in history, then it changes. Hearts would drop into the third qualifying round of the Conference League, fourth the second and fifth would miss out on Europe altogether.