Tough Champions League test looms for Hearts and Rangers

Hearts beat Rangers to win the Scottish title for the first time last season, a surprise that broke the long‑standing dominance of Celtic. Since Glasgow City reached the quarter‑finals in 2020, Scottish sides have suffered diminishing returns in the Women's Champions League, underscoring the difficulty of European progress.

Surprise domestic champions Heart of Midlothian and runners‑up Rangers are the latest to try to buck the downward trend, entering second‑qualifying‑round mini‑tournaments this week. In the new format, group winners progress to the third qualifying round, runners‑up head into the Europa League third qualifying round, while third place still earns a second‑qualifying‑round spot.

Hearts have added defender Ebonie Locke on a short‑term loan from Birmingham City, while midfielder Joely Andrews departed for Hibernian. Rangers, meanwhile, secured Chelsea winger Hendle on loan. Both clubs face new coaching setups: Hearts appointed Andy Thomson, formerly Rangers’ assistant, and Rangers named Leanne Crichton’s brother Colin as her replacement.

Hearts’ first European opponent is Gintra, a Lithuanian side that has dominated its domestic league since 2005 and previously lost 2‑0 to Celtic in a mini‑tournament final. Gintra’s squad features Lithuanians, three Brazilians, two Ukrainians, an American, a Canadian, a Finn and a Zambian, and a win would set Hearts up against either HB Koge or Riga in the final stage.

Rangers enjoy home advantage in their group after a summer of disappointment, including missing out on the league title and losing the Scottish Cup final to Celtic. They have also seen departures such as midfielder Mia McAulay to Aston Villa and the veteran full‑back leaving Nottingham Forest, while Kirsty Smith joins as one of seven new signings.

While the group winners will move on to the third qualifying round, the runners‑up will drop into the Europa League, offering both Hearts and Rangers a chance to reverse the historic trend of Scottish clubs falling short in Europe. Success would mark a significant breakthrough for the Scottish women’s game.