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 August 18 or 19, with the return leg scheduled for August 25 or 26.
Should the Glasgow side lose the encounter, they will not be eliminated from Europe altogether; instead, they will drop straight into the group phase of the UEFA Europa League, preserving a valuable continental campaign for the club. Meanwhile, Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion have been drawn against either Romanian outfit CFR Cluj or Norwegian side Tromsø in the play‑off round of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
The first leg is due on August 20, with the second leg on August 27, and Brighton will host the decisive match. This scheduling places the second leg just a few days after their opening league fixture against Aston Villa on August 23, a game that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. The draws for the play‑off stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League were all confirmed on Monday.
In addition to Celtic and Brighton, several Scottish clubs learned who they could face if they progress through the early qualifying rounds. Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne all received their potential opponents for the next phases of European competition. Rangers, under the guidance of Derek McInnes, will travel to Poland for the first leg of their Europa League play‑off tie against Jagiellonia Białystok on Thursday. The return fixture will be played the following week at Ibrox.
If Rangers win, they will face either Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the subsequent play‑off round, with the first leg slated for August 20 at Ibrox and the second leg a week later. Should Larne lose that tie, they will be redirected into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could meet either Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia.
Hearts, who fell out of the Champions League and entered the Europa League, have been paired with Danish side AGF Aarhus or Azerbaijani club Sabah in their play‑off round. The first leg will be hosted at Tynecastle Park on August 20, with the return leg on August 27. However, Hearts must first overcome Benfica in the third‑round qualifying stage, a match that will be played away in Portugal on Thursday before the second leg at home the following week. Like Rangers, Hearts will have a fallback option: if they are eliminated in the Europa League third round, they will drop into the Conference League play‑offs, where they could be drawn against Paide or SK Rapid.
Motherwell have a chance to reach the Conference League group stage by defeating Finnish champions HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. If they succeed, they will face German Bundesliga side Freiburg – the runners‑up of last season's Europa League – in the play‑off round.
Alfred Johansson’s side travel to Helsinki for the first leg on Wednesday, with the second leg to be played at Fir Park on August 13. Hibernian will also be looking to secure a Conference League berth. They must first get past KF Shkëndija, after which they will be drawn against either IFK Göteborg or Gent. The first leg will be played at Easter Road on Thursday, with the second leg on August 13, meaning the Hibs‑Shkëndija tie will determine whether they advance to the play‑offs scheduled for August 20 and 27.
The broader schedule for the Conference League play‑offs is as follows: first‑leg matches on August 18 and 19, with the return legs on August 25 and 26 for those ties that began earlier. Additional play‑off fixtures are set for August 20 and 27, covering a wide range of clubs from across Europe. Some of the highlighted match‑ups include: - Levski Sofia or Kairat Almaty versus AEK Athens - Dinamo Zagreb or Kauno Žalgiris versus Viking FK - Mjällby or Slovan Bratislava versus Ararat‑Armenia or Celje - Hapoel Be’er Sheva or Red Star Belgrade versus AGF Aarhus or Sabah - Fenerbahçe or Sturm Graz versus Sparta Prague or Lyon - Olympiakos or NEC Nijmegen versus Union Saint‑Gilloise, Bodø/Glimt - Trabzonspor versus Ferencváros or Górnik Zabrze - KuPS Kuopio or Universitatea Craiova versus Ararat‑Armenia or Celje - Sint‑Truiden versus Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia - Shamrock Rovers or Egnatia versus Lillestrøm - Jagiellonia Białystok or Rangers versus Larne or Iberia 1999 Tbilisi - Lech Poznań or KI Klaksvík versus Thun or Vikingur Reykjavík - Benfica or Hearts versus AGF Aarhus or Sabah - OFI Crete versus Maccabi Tel Aviv or CSKA Sofia - And many more pairings involving clubs from Turkey, Italy, Belgium, Denmark, Croatia, Slovenia, Austria, Norway, Scotland and beyond.
Because of the tight calendar, both Rangers and Hearts have asked for their domestic league fixtures that fall between the two legs of any potential European play‑off to be postponed. Consequently, Rangers’ match against St Mirren and Hearts’ trip to Falkirk are both being rearranged to accommodate the continental commitments. For fans who subscribe to Sky Sports, live coverage of these fixtures will be available via the Sky Sports app, and non‑subscribers can gain instant access without a long‑term contract by downloading the app or following Sky Sports on WhatsApp. This ensures that supporters across the UK and Ireland can keep up with the drama of the early‑season European qualifiers, whether they are cheering for Celtic’s quest for Champions League football, Brighton’s bid to secure a Conference League spot, or the various Scottish clubs fighting for a place on the continental stage.
Overall, the upcoming weeks promise a flurry of high‑stakes matches that will shape the European journeys of clubs from the British Isles and the rest of the continent. The outcomes will not only affect the clubs’ financial earnings and prestige but also provide valuable experience for players and managers as they navigate the demanding schedule of domestic and international competition.