Celtic's upcoming Champions League journey was clarified on Monday when the Scottish giants learned they will face Austrian champions LASK for a place in the group stage. The draw, which also set the fixtures for the Europa League and Conference League play‑offs, revealed the routes for several British clubs, including Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne. Martin O'Neill’s side will host the first leg of the two‑legged tie against LASK on either 18 or 19 August, with the return match scheduled for 25 or 26 August.
Should Celtic lose the encounter, they are not eliminated from European competition altogether; they will drop directly into the Europa League group phase, giving them a second chance to continue their continental campaign. In the Conference League, Brighton & Hove Albion, who finished eighth in the Premier League last term, were drawn against either Romanian outfit CFR Cluj or Norwegian side Tromsø.
The winner of that tie will secure a berth in the Conference League group stage. Brighton's fixtures are set for 20 and 27 August, with the Seagulls hosting the decisive second leg.
These dates sit around their domestic season opener, a home game against Aston Villa on 23 August, which will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. Rangers and Hearts also learned who they could meet in the Europa League play‑offs, provided they progress past their third‑round qualifiers.
Derek McInnes’s Rangers travel to Poland to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the first leg on Thursday, with the return leg to follow the next week. If Rangers prevail, they will face either Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the play‑off round, the first leg of which will be at Ibrox on 20 August.
A loss for Larne would see them fall into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could meet Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia. Hearts, who were relegated to the Europa League after an early Champions League exit, were paired with Denmark's AGF Aarhus or Azerbaijan's Sabah in their play‑off tie. The first leg will be played at Tynecastle Park on 20 August, with the return leg a week later. However, Hearts must first overcome Benfica in the third‑round qualifier, a match that will be played away in Portugal on Thursday and then back in Edinburgh the following week.
Both clubs are assured of another opportunity to stay in Europe, as a defeat in the Europa League third round would drop them into the Conference League play‑offs. Rangers could then meet either Jablonec or RFS, while Hearts might be drawn against Paide or SK Rapid. These contingencies have prompted both clubs to request postponements for their domestic league fixtures that fall between the two legs of any potential play‑off tie, meaning Rangers' clash with St Mirren and Hearts' trip to Falkirk will be rescheduled. Motherwell’s European adventure also took shape: the Fir Park side will face German Bundesliga side Freiburg – last season's Europa League finalists – in the Conference League play‑offs if they can overcome HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round.
Alfred Johansson’s Motherwell travel to Helsinki on Wednesday, with the second leg at home on 13 August. Hibernian were drawn against either IFK Gothenburg or Gent for a place in the Conference League play‑offs, contingent on a victory over KF Shkëndija. Hibs will host Shkëndija on Thursday, with the return leg slated for 13 August. The broader schedule for the Conference League play‑offs was also released.
First‑leg matches will be played on 18 and 19 August, with second legs on 25 and 26 August. A second set of play‑off ties will take place on 20 and 27 August, featuring a long list of clubs from across Europe, such as Levski Sofia, Kairat Almaty, AEK Athens, Dinamo Zagreb, Viking, Mjällby, Slovan Bratislava, Ararat‑Armenia, Celje, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, Red Star Belgrade, Fenerbahçe, Sturm Graz, Sparta Prague, Lyon, Olympiakos, NEC Nijmegen, Union Saint‑Gilloise, Bodo/Glimt, Trabzonspor, Ferencváros, Görník Zabrze, KuPS Kuopio, Universitatea Craiova, Sint‑Truiden, Lincoln Red Imps, Omonia, Viktoria Plzeň, Shamrock Rovers, Egnatia, Lillestrøm, and many others. These fixtures illustrate the depth and diversity of the competition, offering clubs from smaller leagues the chance to test themselves against more established opponents.
In addition to the Scottish clubs, several other match‑ups were confirmed for the play‑off round. For example, Benfica will meet Hearts, while the Belgian side will also face AGF Aarhus or Sabah depending on the draw. OFI Crete will take on Maccabi Tel Aviv or CSKA Sofia, and a host of Eastern European clubs such as Lech Poznań, KI Klaksvik, Thun, Vikingur Reykjavik, Borac, ML Vitebsk, and others have been paired in various combinations. These draws set the stage for a busy August, as clubs across the continent prepare for the decisive two‑legged ties that will determine who reaches the group phases of UEFA's three club competitions.
For the Scottish teams, the outcomes will shape their European calendars for the rest of the season, influencing everything from travel logistics to financial rewards. Fans can now look forward to a series of high‑stakes matches, with the promise of both triumph and disappointment hanging in the balance as each club strives to secure its place on the continental stage.