Celtic are set to meet Austrian champions LASK in a two‑legged tie that will decide whether they progress to the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. The first match will be played at Celtic Park on either 18 or 19 August, with the return leg scheduled for 25 or 26 August.
Should the Glasgow side lose, they will not be eliminated from European competition altogether; instead they will drop straight into the Europa League group phase, preserving a continental campaign for the season. In a parallel development, Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion have learned that their next opponent in the UEFA Europa Conference League will be either Romanian outfit CFR Cluj or Norwegian club Tromsø. The Albions will host the decisive second leg, with the two matches slated for 20 and 27 August. Brighton’s first domestic fixture of the campaign – a home game against Aston Villa on 23 August – will fall between the two European dates and will be broadcast live on Sky Sports.
The draw that paired Celtic with LASK and Brighton with a potential Eastern‑European challenger was part of a broader set of fixtures announced on Monday for the play‑off rounds of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. Scottish clubs Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne also discovered their pathways, each of which now includes a mixture of guaranteed second‑chance opportunities and conditional match‑ups depending on the outcomes of earlier rounds. Rangers, under Derek McInnes, will travel to Poland for the first leg of their Europa League play‑off against Jagiellonia Białystok on Thursday, with the return leg to be played a week later 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 slide into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could be drawn against either Jablonec from the Czech Republic or RFS from Latvia. Both scenarios have prompted the club to request a postponement of their domestic league match against St Mirren, to avoid a clash with the European schedule.
Hearts, who dropped into the Europa League after failing to progress in the Champions League qualifiers, have been paired with Danish side AGF Aarhus or Azerbaijani club Sabah in the play‑off round. The first leg will be hosted at Tynecastle on 20 August, with the return leg on 27 August. However, Hearts must first overcome a daunting third‑round tie against Portuguese giants Benfica, playing the first leg away on Thursday and the second leg at home the following week. Should Hearts be eliminated at any stage, they will also be redirected to the Conference League play‑offs, potentially meeting Paide from Estonia or Rapid Vienna from Austria.
Motherwell’s European adventure could see them face German Bundesliga side Freiburg – the runners‑up of last season’s Europa League – in the Conference League play‑off, provided they defeat Finnish champions HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. Alfred Johansson’s Motherwell will travel to Helsinki for the first leg on Wednesday, with the second leg at Fir Park on 13 August. Hibernian have a similar route: a victory over KF Shkëndija would set up a play‑off clash with either IFK Gothenburg from Sweden or Belgian side Gent. The first leg will be hosted at Easter Road on Thursday, with the return leg a week later, both matches forming part of the broader Conference League play‑off schedule that runs on 20 and 27 August.
The overall play‑off calendar is dense, with first‑leg fixtures spread across 18/19 August for the Champions League, 20 August for many Europa and Conference League ties, and second‑leg fixtures on 25/26 August and 27 August respectively. A long list of match‑ups has been published, featuring clubs from across Europe: Levski Sofia versus AEK Athens, Dinamo Zagreb against Viking, Fenerbahçe meeting Sparta Prague, Olympiakos playing Union Saint‑Gilloise, and many more.
These pairings illustrate the wide geographic spread of the competition and the variety of opponents that clubs from the British Isles may eventually encounter. For Brighton, the prospect of meeting CFR Cluj – a club with a strong recent pedigree in Romanian football – or Tromsø, who have been impressive in the Norwegian league, presents a tactical challenge. Both teams have experience in European qualifiers, and the Albions will need to balance squad rotation with the demands of a busy early‑season schedule. Their manager has hinted at using the Conference League as a platform to give younger players valuable experience while still aiming for progression to the group stage.
Celtic’s tie against LASK is equally compelling. The Austrian side have shown they can compete against top‑flight opposition, and their disciplined defensive setup could test Celtic’s attacking flair.
Martin O'Neill’s side will likely adopt an aggressive approach at home, hoping to secure a clear advantage before the away leg in Austria. The outcome of this tie will have significant financial implications, as participation in the Champions League group stage guarantees a substantial boost in revenue compared with the Europa League. In summary, Scottish clubs are now aware of the exact routes they must navigate to reach the various European competition group stages.
Celtic, Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell and Hibernian each have specific opponents and dates, while Brighton’s European journey will begin with a decisive play‑off against a Romanian or Norwegian side. The coming weeks will be crucial in shaping the continental landscape for these clubs, and fans can look forward to a flurry of high‑stakes matches as the European football calendar kicks off.