Hibs' failure to beat Hearts on the final day of the season in an all-Edinburgh clash means that they will potentially have to crawl through FOUR qualification rounds if they wish to reach the group stages.
Though it was a valiant battle in a late push to finish in the top three Hibs fell short at the final hurdle, meaning that should Celtic beat Inverness in the Scottish Cup final, they'll start in the second qualifying round, with that round starting in late July in what will be a seriously early pre-season if the Leith-based side are to start their campaign in due time.
But with financial prizes on offer, Lee Johnson will aim to drag his side as far as he can if they are to progress to the main stage. Edinburgh Live takes a look at the potential route for Hibs if they are to continue in Europe past the play-off rounds.
READ MORE: Hearts vs Hibs full-time derby chaos as Tynecastle rammy sees players and staff clash in ugly scenes
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As things stand, the Leith-based side won't enter any round of the Europa Conference League. But should Celtic beat Inverness Caledonian Thistle in the Scottish Cup final, that would elevate Hibs to the second qualifying round. This is the stage that Motherwell qualified for last season, before being trounced by Irish minnows Sligo Rovers with a crushing 3-0 aggregate defeat. winning the Scottish Cup already qualifying for European football.
With Hibs' quality, you would think that they should breeze past this round - though nothing is certain.
The draw date for this round would come on June 21, with the first and second legs taking place on July 27 and August 3 respectively
Should Hibs prevail victorious at in the second qualifying round, they would then enter the third qualifying round of the Europa Conference League.
The draw will already be made for them before they kick off the previous round on July 24, with those ties taking place on August 10 and August 17 respectively. A win on aggregate at this stage would mean they qualify for the play-off round.
For context, this is the stage that Dundee United got beat 7-1 on aggregate by AZ Alkmaar, despite a heroic 1-0 win in the first leg at Tannadice.
Should Hibs advance yet again, they would face a play-off to make the group stages.
However, they would have to surpass teams with much bigger financial muscle, with the likes of Aston Villa and Juventus potentially qualifying for this stage.
Again, the draw would be made before the third qualifying round takes place, meaning that Hibs would know their fate. The draw is on August 7, with the respective ties taking place on August 24 and August 31.
If Hibs battle through to the group stages, it would represent their first group stages in any European competition - giving them the chance to travel across the globe on three accounts before hosting teams thrice at Easter Road.
The draw would be made on September 1, with the game weeks occurring as follows:
21 September: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 1
5 October: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 2
26 October: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 3
9 November: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 4
30 November: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 5
14 December: UEFA Europa Conference League Matchday 6
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