The Europa League play-off is still over a month away, but preparations are already being made at Heart of Midlothian. Seven new players have been recruited, there has been a pre-season training camp in Tenerife, and now the players are getting up to match fitness through a series of friendlies in the build-up to the new campaign.

For the first time in the club’s 150-year history, Hearts will be competing in Europe for a third consecutive season. The Gorgie outfit will enter the Europa League at the play-off round; victory in the two-legged tie will see the team advance to the league phase of UEFA’s secondary club competition where a further eight games await. Lose, and Hearts will have the consolation of a place in the Conference League and a minimum of another six fixtures to look forward to.

Supporters are understandably excited about the adventure that lies ahead. Glamour ties against some of the continent’s big hitters, exotic away days to far-flung locales, Thursday nights under the lights at Tynecastle – you can take your pick. We don’t yet know the exact teams Hearts will be facing in Europe this season, but we do have a good idea about the calibre of team that the men in maroon will be up against.

Much of that is down to UEFA’s club coefficient ranking. The system decides which clubs are seeded and unseeded for each draw, and each team’s ranking determines which pot they are in when the league phase draw gets underway. It is calculated by looking at each particular club’s last five years of results in European football.

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Hearts currently have a relatively low club coefficient, mainly due to the fact that they have only competed in Europe in two of the last five seasons. Hearts picked up 4.0 points in 2022/23 by finishing third in the group stages of the Conference League, while last season’s exit at the play-off round contributed a further 2.5 points towards the club’s tally. The coefficient total sits at 6.5, leaving Hearts in 175th position in the Europe-wide table.

It means that if Hearts were to progress to the league phase of the Europa League, they would be one of the lowest-ranked teams in the competition and would subsequently face a very difficult draw. Even if Hearts were eliminated at the play-off round and dropped into the Conference League, of the six pots for the group-stage draw, they would be in one of the bottom two.

There are, however, plenty of opportunities for Hearts to pick up more coefficient points. It won’t make a difference in the here and now, but a strong campaign in Europe this year could see the men in maroon move into a higher pot in future seasons. The figures below show the coefficient points that are on offer in the Europa League for both results and each club's final position in the 32-team table.

Results

2 – All wins from league phase onwards (except knockout round play-offs)
1 – All draws from league phase onwards (except knockout round play-offs)
1 – Each round clubs reach from the last 16

League position

1st = 6, 2nd = 5.75, 3rd = 5.5, 4th = 5.25, 5th = 5, 6th = 4.75, 7th = 4.5, 8th = 4.25, 9th = 4, 10th = 3.75, 11th = 3.5, 12th = 3.25, 13th = 3, 14th = 2.75, 15th = 2.5, 16th = 2.25, 17th = 2, 18th = 1.75, 19th = 1.5, 20th = 1.25, 21st = 1, 22nd = 0.75, 23rd = 0.5, 24th = 0.25, 25th-36th = 0.

Then there’s the Conference League. Naturally, the rewards aren’t quite as great – but neither is the calibre of opposition. It’s a lower level, but Hearts’ chances of competing are better. Here are the coefficient points available from the league phase onwards.

Results

2 – All wins from league phase onwards (except knockout round play-offs)
1 – All draws from league phase onwards (except knockout round play-offs)
1 – Each round clubs reach from the semi-finals

League position

1st = 4, 2nd = 3.75, 3rd = 3.5, 4th = 3.25, 5th = 3, 6th = 2.75, 7th = 2.5, 8th = 2.25, 9th = 2, 10th = 1.875, 11th = 1.75, 12th = 1.625, 13th = 1.5, 14th = 1.375, 15th = 1.25, 16th = 1.125, 17th = 1, 18th = 0.875, 19th = 0.75, 20th = 0.625, 21st = 0.5, 22nd = 0.375, 23rd = 0.25, 24th = 0.125, 25th-36th = 0. 

Hearts need only look at Aberdeen’s results in last season’s Conference League to see how much difference a decent campaign can make. The Dons were knocked out of the Europa League at the play-off round and dropped into the Conference League for the group stage where they won one, drew three and lost two of their six fixtures. This gained Aberdeen 5.0 coefficient points in total and has seen the northeast club shoot up to 125th place in the overall rankings.

There is no quick fix when it comes to club coefficients. The only way to rise up the standings is by competing regularly in Europe and then giving a good account of yourself once you’re there. Hearts’ seasons without European football harmed the coefficient but the players’ European exploits over the past two years have started to address the issue. The foundations have been laid for Hearts’ coefficient to rise – and a strong performance on the continent this term could reap huge benefits further down the line.