Real’s first match in Europe Cup is against Hearts

Real Sociedad will make its debut in the Women’s Europe Cup against Heart of Midthlonian (Hearts) from Edinburgh, after the UEFA draw in Nyon determined a round 2 tie in the second continental competition.

Tie dates

The first leg will be played on 22 or 23 September in Edinburgh, while the return is scheduled for 30 September or 1 October in Donostia. If Real progress, the draw for the round of 16 takes place on 2 October, as Mundo Deportivo reports.

A recent European trail

Hearts arrive after dropping into the Europe Cup from the Champions qualifying phase (not from the most recent stage). In the mini-tournament held in Denmark, they reached the final, beating Gintra in the semi-finals, but lost to HB Koge in the final—sending them into this competition.

Their European entry this season has a big backdrop too: they qualified for Europe for the first time in club history after winning the Scottish league for the first time under Spanish coach Eva Olid, who later left to join Manchester United.

Current form

In their new era, Hearts have started with strong league results: 6-0 vs Aberdeen and 0-5 against Motherwell. However, they also come off a 0-3 defeat to the Rangers, a team that is also playing in the tournament.

Before facing Real, they have two league games scheduled away—against Montrose and Spartans—and in the run-up they host Glasgow City at Ainslie Park (3,612 capacity, 534 seats), according to Mundo Deportivo.