Celtic learn UCL play-off draw pool as August ties loom
Celtic await Champions League play-off draw as five potential opponents confirmed for August ties
The field of potential opponents for Celtic’s Champions League play-off has been set, leaving the Scottish champions awaiting a two-legged tie in mid-August that will decide their fate in Europe’s elite competition. With the third qualifying round now concluded, five unseeded sides remain in the pool from which Celtic’s opponent will be drawn, reviving memories of last season’s painful exit at the hands of Kairat Almaty.
Celtic, seeded in the Champions Route, will face one of five possible teams: Viking of Norway, Austria’s LASK, the winner of NK Celje against Ararat-Armenia, the winner of Kairat Almaty against Levski Sofia, or the winner of the tie between Denmark’s Aarhus and Azerbaijan’s Sabah. The draw will determine home and away order for legs scheduled for 18/19th August and 25/26th August, with the domestic league already accommodating the European schedule by postponing Celtic’s 22nd August fixture.
For Celtic supporters, the mention of Kairat Almaty haunts them. Twelve months ago in the Central Stadium in Almaty, a city around 200 miles from the Chinese border, Celtic’s Champions League qualification hopes were denied in a penalty shootout. After two goalless 90-minute periods and a tense extra-time period, the match went to spot-kicks, where Kairat’s 21-year-old goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov saved three attempts to seal a 3–2 shootout victory. Adam Idah, Luke McCowan and Daizen Maeda all saw their penalties saved as Celtic failed to score over 210 minutes of football, a barren run that proved fatal in the quest for the league phase.
That defeat marked the first time a Kazakh club had reached the Champions League league phase and denied Celtic a return to the 36-team format they had navigated the previous season. The financial consequences were stark, with reports estimating the miss cost the club around £40m in potential revenue from UEFA.
As the new campaign approaches, the narrative is familiar but the stakes are no less severe. The play-off winner advances to the Champions League league phase, while the loser drops into the Europa League group stage, a significant step down in prestige and prize money. For Martin O’Neill’s side, the challenge is to convert dominance into goals and avoid another embarrassing and humiliating exit from the Champions League.
The draw itself will be conducted after the conclusion of the third qualifying round, confirming which of the five unseeded teams Celtic will face, be it a return trip to Kazakhstan, a first meeting with Viking or LASK, or a tie against one of the other potential qualifiers.