Real Sociedad clings to Zubieta to reach the Europa Cup round of 16
Real Sociedad will host Heart of Midlothian on Wednesday, 30 September at 19:00 in the second leg of the UEFA Women's Europa second qualifying round. Both teams drew 0-0 in the first leg, and qualification for the Round of 16 will be decided at Zubieta, where the txuri-urdin club hopes to secure a win.
29 SEP 2026
Maximum excitement at Real Sociedad. After being eliminated 2-6 by Chelsea on aggregate in the Champions League tie, the San Sebastián side hope to go far in the UEFA Women's Europa, where they have already become the first Spanish team to play in this competition. In the first leg, the Basque side drew 0-0 against Hearts with a missed penalty by Nerea Eizagirre. The return leg will be decided at Zubieta, where Gorka Álvarez's team will look to advance to the round of 16 and secure their first win of the season. So far, the start has not been as expected for the *txuri-urdin* club, who sit in 15th position in Liga F Moeve with 2 points after two draws and three defeats. Alazne Estensoro, who is a U20 European champion with Spain, has joined the group.
Meanwhile, Ainhoa Marín has received her first call-up to the senior national team. María Molina, Aiara Agirrezabala, Arola Aparicio, and academy player Carlota Chacón, who suffered a cruciate ligament injury, will be unavailable for the San Sebastián side. Heart of Midlothian arrive as champions of the Scottish league last season. Andy Thomson's side also failed to qualify for the Champions League after winning 2-1 against Gintra in the first round, but then being eliminated 2-1 by Koge in the second round. The Scottish team occupies 3rd position in the Scottish Women's Premier League with 13 points after drawing (2-2) against Glasgow City in their last match. 90 minutes lie ahead at Zubieta for Real Sociedad to make history in European competition.
Kick-off time and how to watch the match
The clash between Real Sociedad and Hearts, the second leg of the UEFA Women's Europa Cup second round, will be on Wednesday, 30 September at 19:00h at Zubieta and will be broadcast on the Basque side's YouTube channel.