Celtic have been drawn against the Austrian champions LASK in the final qualifying round for a place in the Champions League group stage, while Brighton & Hove Albion will meet either CFR Cluj of Romania or Tromsø of Norway in the Conference League play‑off round. The draws for the play‑off stages of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League were all conducted on Monday, and a number of Scottish clubs – Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne – also learned the routes they must travel to reach the European group phases. Martin O'Neill's Celtic will host the first leg of their two‑leg tie against LASK on either 18 or 19 August, with the return match scheduled for 25 or 26 August.
The loser of the encounter will not be eliminated from Europe entirely; they will drop straight into the Europa League group stage, giving them a second chance to compete on the continent. Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last term, have been paired with the winner of the CFR Cluj versus Tromsø tie. The victor will travel to Falmer for the second leg, which is set for 27 August, while the first leg will be played on 20 August.
The Seagulls' European campaign will therefore be sandwiched around their opening league fixture against Aston Villa on 23 August, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. In the Europa League play‑off draw, Rangers and Hearts discovered who they could face if they prevail in their third‑round qualifying ties.
Derek McInnes' Rangers travel to Poland to take on Jagiellonia Białystok in the first leg on Thursday, with the return leg a week later at Ibrox. Should Rangers win, they will meet either the Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the next round. The first leg of that tie would be on 20 August at Ibrox, with the second leg the following week.
If Larne lose their play‑off, they will be redirected into the Conference League play‑offs where they could meet Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia. Hearts, who dropped into the Europa League after a Champions League exit, have been drawn against AGF Aarhus of Denmark or Sabah of Azerbaijan.
The first leg will be played at Tynecastle on 20 August, with the return leg on 27 August. However, Hearts must first overcome a third‑round tie against Benfica, travelling to Portugal for the first leg on Thursday and hosting the second leg the following week. Both clubs are assured of another European lifeline: if they lose in the third round of the Europa League, they will fall into the Conference League play‑off round.
In that scenario, Rangers could face Jablonec or RFS, while Hearts might be drawn against Paide or SK Rapid. Because of the tight scheduling, both clubs have asked for their domestic fixtures that fall between the two legs of any potential play‑off to be postponed. This means Rangers' league game against St Mirren and Hearts' trip to Falkirk will be rearranged to avoid a clash with European commitments. Motherwell have a chance to reach the Conference League play‑off round if they can defeat HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round.
Should they succeed, they will meet German side Freiburg – last season's Europa League finalists – in the play‑offs. Alfred Johansson's Motherwell side travel to Helsinki on Wednesday for the first leg, with the return leg at Fir Park scheduled for Thursday, 13 August. Hibernian will also be in the Conference League play‑off picture. If they get past KF Shkëndija, they will face either IFK Gothenburg or Gent.
Hibs will host Shkëndija on Thursday, with the second leg set for 13 August, the winner advancing to the play‑off stage. The Conference League play‑offs themselves are slated for 20 and 27 August, with first legs on 18/19 August and second legs on 25/26 August for the Champions League side of the schedule.
A long list of match‑ups across the continent has been published, involving clubs from Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, Greece, Croatia, Sweden, Norway, Turkey, Austria, the Netherlands, Poland, Georgia, Slovakia, Finland, Cyprus, Serbia, Portugal, Italy, Belgium, and many more. Some of the highlighted pairings 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‑Truidense 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 Klaksvik versus Thun or Vikingur Reykjavik - Benfica or Hearts versus AGF Aarhus or Sabah - OFI Crete versus Maccabi Tel Aviv or CSKA Sofia - CFR Cluj or Tromsø versus Brighton & Hove Albion - Zalgiris or Hajduk Split versus Raków or Hammarby - Panathinaikos or CSKA 1948 versus Hradec Králové or Beşiktaş - Atalanta versus Hapoel Tel Aviv or Katowice - Bohemians or Midtjylland versus Rijeka or Ilves - Valur or Nordsjælland versus Sheriff or St Gallen - Braga or Dinamo Minsk versus Beitar Jerusalem or Austria Vienna - Twente or DAC 1904 versus Dynamo Kyiv or Qarabağ - Getafe versus Partizan or Tobol These fixtures illustrate the breadth of the competition and the opportunities for clubs from smaller leagues to test themselves against more established sides.
For the Scottish teams involved, the coming weeks will be crucial in determining whether they can secure a place in the lucrative group stages or whether they will have to settle for the secondary European tournaments. The scheduling pressures, travel demands, and the need to balance domestic league obligations with continental ambitions add an extra layer of complexity to the already intense pre‑season period. Fans of Celtic will be hoping that O'Neill's side can overcome LASK and retain a place among Europe's elite, while Brighton will be eager to navigate the play‑off and add a European campaign to their calendar for the first time in several years. Both clubs, along with Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell, Hibernian and the other Scottish participants, will be watching the draw outcomes closely, as each result will shape their summer preparations and set the tone for the upcoming season.