Benfica to host Hearts in UEFA Europa League third qualifying round first leg in Lisbon on Aug 7
Marco Silva’s SL Benfica will face Scottish side Hearts in the first leg of the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 third qualifying round at the Estádio do SL Benfica in Lisbon on Friday, August 7, with kick-off at 12:30 a.m. IST. Broadcasters include Premier Sports in the United Kingdom and Sport TV in Portugal, while the match has no dedicated live broadcaster in India.
Benfica finished third in Liga Portugal last season and progressed to this round after overcoming FC St. Gallen in the second qualifying round. Hearts finished second in the Scottish Premiership in 2025-26 and reached this stage following a 6-0 aggregate victory over Sturm Graz in their earlier tie. Hearts opened their 2026-27 domestic campaign with a 2-1 defeat to Aberdeen FC.
Benfica's second qualifying-round tie against FC St. Gallen was settled emphatically in the second leg at home, a 5-0 win. Vangelis Pavlidis was the standout performer in that match, scoring four goals in the 5-0 victory.
Hearts advanced from the previous round with a comprehensive 6-0 aggregate win against Sturm Graz, a result that carried them into this third qualifying round tie. Their 2-1 loss to Aberdeen FC in the opening match of the 2026-27 season is their most recent competitive result noted ahead of the Benfica fixture.
The fixture will be staged at Estádio da Luz, also referenced as Estádio do SL Benfica, in Lisbon. Viewers in the United Kingdom can watch on Premier Sports and viewers in Portugal on Sport TV; fans in India do not have a designated broadcaster for this qualifier.
Khel Now directs readers to follow its updates on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, to download the Khel Now Android or iOS app, and to join its Telegram community for live coverage and notifications. The piece was authored by Govind, Sub Editor of Football at Khel Now.
This match constitutes the first leg of the UEFA Europa League 2026-27 third qualifying round; a second leg will follow to decide the tie.