Everything you need to know about Celtic’s Champions League playoff draw

Wednesday evening’s conclusion of the Second Qualifying Round finalised the list of potential opponents that Brendan Rodgers’ side could face at the end of this month.

Several surprises unfolded, including top unseeded team Maccabi Tel Aviv being eliminated by Cyprus’ Pafos, while Romanian title-holders FCSB were beaten by North Macedonian’s Shkendija.

Being a seeded side in the Champions Path, Celtic cannot face teams such as Bodo/Glimt, Copenhagen OR Malmo, Ferencvaros OR Ludogorets, and Red Star Belgrade OR Lech Poznan.

Instead, the Hoops will be matched with either one of the two unseeded teams already through to the Play-Offs or one of three winners emerging from the still-to-be-decided Third Qualifying Round clashes which commence next week.

Celtic’s possible opponents ahead of Monday’s draw are as follows: Slovan Bratislava OR Kairat, Basel, Qarabag OR Shkendija, Pafos OR Dynamo Kyiv, and Sturm Graz.

With Maccabi Tel Aviv thankfully out, Slovan Bratislava – Celtic’s opening opponents in last season’s Champions League campaign – now hold the highest UEFA coefficient among the unseeded teams. On the other hand, Shkendija are considered the lowest-ranked side based on European results over the past five years.

While being seeded provides an advantage in the draw for Celtic, it does not guarantee hosting the second leg at Celtic Park – that is decided by whichever team is drawn first in each matchup on Monday.

All two-legged encounters are scheduled for the dates of 19 and 20 August , with the second legs taking place on  26 and 27 August.

Also, Celtic can postpone their Scottish Premiership fixture against Livingston at Celtic Park which is sandwiched between the two-legged qualifier in conjunction with new SPFL and SFA rules this season that seek to help clubs in European competition.

Winners from each Champions League playoff tie advance to the 36-team League Phase, whereas the defeated teams are guaranteed to play Europa League football until January 2026.

Securing qualification to Europe’s elite club competition for a fourth consecutive season could earn Celtic over £40 million when combining UEFA prize money, broadcasting rights, and ticket sales.

Conor Spence

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