Celtic are set to meet Austrian champions LASK in a two‑legged tie that will decide whether they progress to the Champions League group stage. The first encounter will be played at Celtic Park on either the 18th or 19th of August, with the return match scheduled for the 25th or 26th.
Should the Glasgow side lose, they will not be eliminated from European competition altogether; instead, they will drop into the Europa League group phase, preserving a valuable continental campaign. Meanwhile, Brighton & Hove Albion, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, have been drawn against either Romanian side CFR Cluj or Norwegian outfit Tromsø in the Conference League play‑off round. The English club will host the decisive second leg, with the two matches slated for the 20th and 27th of August. The first leg will be away, and the second leg will be sandwiched between Brighton's opening league fixture against Aston Villa on the 23rd of August, a game that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
The draw that produced these pairings also revealed the paths for several other Scottish clubs. Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne all learned who they could face in the upcoming qualifying phases of the Europa and Conference Leagues. Rangers, under manager Derek McInnes, travel to Poland to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the first leg of their Europa League play‑off on Thursday, with the return leg to be played the following week at Ibrox. If they prevail, they will face either Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the next round.
A loss would see them slip into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could meet either Lincoln Red Imps of Gibraltar or Cypriot side Omonia. Hearts, who were relegated to the Europa League after an early exit from the Champions League, have been paired with Danish club AGF Aarhus or Azerbaijani side Sabah in their play‑off.
The first leg will be held at Tynecastle Park on 20 August, with the second leg a week later. However, Hearts must first overcome Benfica in the third‑round qualifying tie before they can face either AGF or Sabah. A defeat in the Europa play‑off would also push them into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could be drawn against Paide of Estonia or Austria's SK Rapid Wien. Both clubs have asked that their domestic fixtures be rescheduled to avoid a clash with potential European dates.
Consequently, Rangers' league match against St Mirren and Hearts' away game at Falkirk are both under review for possible postponement. Further down the Scottish ladder, Motherwell have a chance to meet German Bundesliga side Freiburg—last season's Europa League finalists—in the Conference League play‑off, provided they beat HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. Motherwell will travel to Helsinki on Wednesday, with the return leg at Fir Park on 13 August.
Hibernian's route is similar: they will host KF Shkëndija on Thursday, with a second leg on 13 August, and if they progress they will face either Swedish side IFK Gothenburg or Belgian club Gent in the play‑off round. The Conference League play‑off schedule is set for 20 and 27 August, with first legs on 18/19 August and second legs on 25/26 August for the Champions League qualifiers. A long list of other match‑ups across Europe has also been released, featuring clubs from Bulgaria, Turkey, Croatia, Norway, Denmark, Serbia, Portugal, Greece, Poland, Switzerland, Finland, Cyprus, and many more.
These fixtures illustrate the breadth of the competition and the myriad opportunities for clubs from smaller leagues to test themselves against more established sides. For fans looking to follow the action, Sky Sports will broadcast many of the key fixtures, and the Sky Sports app provides live streaming options.
Those without a Sky subscription can still gain instant access through the app’s no‑contract offers, and updates are also available via Sky Sports on WhatsApp. In summary, Celtic's clash with LASK will determine whether they continue in the Champions League or shift to the Europa League, while Brighton's showdown with either CFR Cluj or Tromsø will decide their fate in the Conference League. Scottish clubs Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell and Hibernian have all secured their potential opponents, and the coming weeks will see a flurry of travel, tactical battles, and the ever‑present hope of advancing further in European competition.