SC Freiburg will face Motherwell in the UEFA Conference League play-off round, with a place in the 36-team league phase at stake. Motherwell reached this tie by beating HJK Helsinki 2-0 on 13 August, a result that sealed a 3-1 aggregate win in the third qualifying round. Freiburg come in off a seventh-place finish in the Bundesliga last season.
Motherwell’s route into the tie
Motherwell’s win over HJK was built around Ibrahim Said, who scored both goals in the second leg. That was the kind of night they needed after qualifying work that had already given them a foothold in Europe, and it leaves them with a real chance of carrying momentum into this next round. Their recent five-match run includes three straight wins, and they finished fourth in the 2025 Premiership season.
Freiburg’s league pedigree
Freiburg’s domestic season was steadier than spectacular, but seventh in the Bundesliga still put them into this path. They finished on 47 points and a goal difference of -6, which is a decent enough picture of a side that were competitive without pulling away from the pack. Their continental record is stronger than Motherwell’s, too: 5 wins, 2 draws and 1 loss in Europe.
The first leg is on 20 August in Scotland, with the return fixture on 27 August in Freiburg. If Freiburg go through, the main draw is on 28 August and the Conference League league phase begins on 15 October.
Written by Jack Mercer with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
