Conference League 2026-27: Why are Brighton and Hearts both allowed in competition?

Brighton and Hearts could both find themselves in the league phase of this season’s Conference League.

Both share an owner in businessman Tony Bloom, but have been deemed eligible to play alongside each other should they advance past this month’s last round of qualifying.

The Seagulls take on Norwegian outfit Tromso, with Hearts facing Rapid Vienna.

Bloom expanded his football interests after notable success with Brighton, buying into Scottish Premiership side Hearts and Belgian club Union Saint-Gilloise.

Towards the end of last season it became apparent that Brighton could end up in the same European competition as one or both of the clubs within the group.

With Brighton and Hearts coming through the play-off round of the Conference League, that has now come to pass.

Crystal Palace were demoted from the Europa League last season due to a multi-club ownership conflict with Lyon, so why have Brighton and Hearts escaped?

It comes down to the ownership structure, and Bloom has been very careful to make sure his clubs stay within the regulations.

In the 2023-24 season, both Brighton and Union Saint-Gilloise qualified for the Europa League.

Bloom reduced his stake in Union Saint-Gilloise to 29% – just below the Uefa 30% threshold as a trigger for a multi-club model.

So when Bloom bought into Hearts last year, he clearly had this conflict in mind by purchasing just 29% of the Edinburgh club.

Uefa takes other things into account, like the composition of a club’s board, and decision-making powers, which Brighton and Hearts also passed.

When Palace lost their place in the Europa League, John Textor owned Lyon but also had a seat on the Palace board and 44.09% of share capital was held by his company, Eagle Football Holdings. This was a clear trigger of the multi-club rules.

This article is the latest from BBC Sport’s Ask Me Anything team.