Pafos FC will host Scottish side Heart of Midlothian and travel to Italy to face Atalanta during the league phase of this season’s Conference League, with the draw having been made on Friday afternoon.

In total, the Paphites will play three league phase games at home and three on the road, with Danish outfit Midtjylland and Latvian champions Riga FC also set to travel to Limassol’s Alphamega Stadium,

As well as their trip to Atalanta, the Cypriot side will travel to the Netherlands to face FC Twente, and to Sweden, where they will meet defending Allsvenskan champions Mjallby.

Hearts missed out on the Scottish Premiership title on the last day of last season, being overtaken by Celtic on the final day after losing 3-1 to the eventual champions at Parkhead.

Celebrations at Parkhead in May after Celtic beat Hearts on the last day of the season to win the title

Since then, Rangers have taken their manager Derek McKinnes and top goalscorer Lawrence Shankland, but neither could help their new club reach the league stage of any European competition, being beaten on penalties by Czech side Jablonec in Conference League qualifying on Thursday night.

Atalanta finished in seventh place in last season’s Serie A, and have the most European pedigree of any of Pafos FC’s league phase opponents, having won the Europa League in 2024, and with new manager Maurizio Sarri having won the same trophy while at Chelsea in 2019.

Midtjylland finished in second place in last season’s Danish Superliga, while Riga FC, like Pafos FC, were founded in 2014.

Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink with his father Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink

FC Twente finished fourth in last year’s Eredivisie, and have on their roster former Manchester United cult hero Wout Weghorst and Lucas Vennegoor of Hesselink, the son of former Celtic cult hero Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink.

Hailing from the Baltic coastal village of Hallevik, Mjallby upset the odds to become Swedish champions for the first time last year in what is widely considered to be one of the most remarkable underdog stories in modern football.

This season is their first foray into Europe, and they will do so with Ali Youssef, on loan from Apollon Limassol, leading the line.