KAA Gent has qualified for the Conference League group stage following a 2-3 victory away at Hibernian in Edinburgh. The Belgian club's reward is a draw featuring home games against Red Star Belgrade and Brann, as reported by avs.be.
The Buffaloes carried strong domestic form into Europe, having taken nine points from three games to sit third in the Jupiler Pro League. They have scored six goals and conceded two. That momentum was evident in Scotland yesterday, where they dominated the first half at Easter Road. Tariq Vergara opened the scoring in the 37th minute with a fine individual effort. "Taking it with the left, turning and finishing ... this is a world-class goal. You keep watching it," the forward said.
How did the match in Edinburgh unfold?
Vergara's first major chance was ruled out, but his strike before halftime gave Gent a deserved lead. After the break, Hibernian thought they had equalized quickly, but VAR disallowed the goal for handball. The hosts did fight back with two second-half goals. Coach Rik De Mil responded with a triple substitution. The turnaround, however, was aided by two own goals from Gent defenders, scored by Christian Burgess and Kenneth Chaiwa. Despite this, the Buffalos held on to win 2-3, eliminating Hibernian.
What is the Conference League schedule?
The group phase begins on Thursday, 15 October 2026. Gent will play at home against Red Star Belgrade at the SER and against Norwegian side Brann at the NOO. The away fixtures are against Portuguese club Braga in POR, Finnish side KuPS in FIN, and Swiss team Thun in ZWI. The full schedule for the six matchdays, running until 17 December, can be found on our fixtures page. The second matchday is on 22 October, followed by games on 5 and 26 November and 10 December.
What is Gent's situation in the domestic league?
The European qualification comes on top of a perfect league start. Gent is third with nine points, just three points behind leaders Charleroi. The team has a goal difference of +4. The next test is a home match against 17th-placed OH Leuven on 3 September. For that game, the squad will still be without the injured Hyllarion Goore and Matisse Samoise, as shown on the injuries list.
What does this mean for the rest of the season?
Qualifying for the Conference League group stage sets up a busy but promising autumn for Gent. The club will combine chasing the top in the Jupiler Pro League, where they can be tracked on the standings page, with six European matches against varied opponents. The home games against Red Star and Brann offer real chances for points. The coming weeks will severely test the squad's endurance and depth, which can be viewed in the squad overview.
