Freiburg Awaits HJK or Motherwell in Conference League Play-Off

SC Freiburg has learned its potential opponents for the UEFA Conference League play-off round, with a two-legged tie against either HJK HelsinkiTeam·HJK Helsinki of Finland or Scotland's MotherwellTeam·Motherwell awaiting them. The German club will play away on August 20th, followed by the home leg in Freiburg on August 27th. The identity of their adversary will be confirmed after HJK and MotherwellTeam·Motherwell complete their third qualifying round matches on August 6th and 13th.

Freiburg secured their place in the play-off round by finishing seventh in the BundesligaCompetition·Bundesliga during the 2025/26 season, accumulating 47 points from 13 wins, 8 draws, and 13 losses. This qualification follows a notable European campaign in the 2025/26 season, where Julian SchusterCoach·Julian Schuster's side reached the UEFA Europa LeagueCompetition·Europa League final before ultimately losing 3-0 to Aston VillaTeam·Aston Villa. The club is now focused on returning to the main stage of a European competition.

Their potential opponents each bring distinct European pedigrees. HJK HelsinkiTeam·HJK Helsinki enters the qualifiers as four-time defending champions of the VeikkausliigaCompetition·Veikkausliiga, Finland's top flight, from 2021 to 2024. In the current Conference LeagueCompetition·Conference League qualifying rounds, HJK demonstrated their capability by comfortably defeating Coleraine of Northern Ireland with an 8-0 aggregate score in the Second Qualifying Round. The Finnish side also boasts an unbeaten run of four home games in European competition and has successfully navigated the qualifiers to reach the Conference LeagueCompetition·Conference League Group Stage in both August 2023 and August 2024.

MotherwellTeam·Motherwell, meanwhile, earned their spot in the 2025/26 UEFA Conference League qualifiers after a strong domestic performance. They marked their return to European football after a four-year absence by progressing through their Second Qualifying Round tie, defeating HB Torshavn 5-0 on aggregate. Under new manager Alfred Johansson, who was appointed after Jens Berthel AskouCoach·Jens Berthel Askou's departure for ToulouseTeam·Toulouse, MotherwellTeam·Motherwell began their 2026/27 Scottish Premiership campaign with a late winner against HibernianTeam·Hibernian and have won four of their last five away games across all competitions.

The winner of this play-off round will advance to the 36-team league phase of the UEFA Conference League. The draw for the league phase is scheduled for August 28th, with the competition's league phase itself commencing on October 15th. For Freiburg, the tie represents a crucial step towards another season of continental football, while for HJK or MotherwellTeam·Motherwell, it offers a significant opportunity to test themselves against BundesligaCompetition·Bundesliga opposition and reach a prominent European stage.