Israeli champions Hapoel Be'er Sheva will be drawn on Wednesday into the second qualifying round of the Champions League, which will begin the club’s European campaign. The first leg is scheduled for July 21 or 22, and the qualifying phase will run through August 25 or 26.
Be'er Sheva will enter the draw as a seeded team because of its results in European competitions over the past five years, which should give it a more favorable draw. If it reaches the third qualifying round, however, it will no longer be seeded and would face a tougher opponent.
If the team is eliminated in the Champions League second qualifying round, it will drop into the Europa League. A loss there would send it into the Conference League. In any case, Be'er Sheva needs to get through only one round to secure a place in a league phase and ensure an European season.
Possible opponents in the second qualifying round include Danish champions AGF Aarhus, Swiss champions Thun and Swedish champions Mjallby. Other possible rivals will come from first-round winners, among them Kazakhstan’s Kairat and Romanian champions Universitatea Craiova.