Celtic have been drawn against Austrian champions LASK in the final qualifying round for a place in the Champions League group stage, while Premier League side Brighton & Hove Albion will meet either Romanian side CFR Cluj or Norwegian club Tromø 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 confirmed on Monday, and a number of Scottish clubs – Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian, Motherwell and Larne – also learned which opponents await them if they progress. Martin O'Neill's Celtic will host the first leg of their tie with LASK on either 18 or 19 August, with the return fixture scheduled for 25 or 26 August.
Should the Glasgow side lose the two‑legged encounter, they will drop straight into the Europa League group phase, guaranteeing at least a continental campaign for the season. Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last term, will contest a two‑legged tie against the winner of the CFR Cluj versus Tromø match‑up. The first leg is set for 20 August and the second leg for 27 August, with Brighton taking the second leg at home.
The Seagulls’ fixtures are sandwiched around their league opener against Aston Villa on 23 August, a match that will be broadcast live on Sky Sports. In the Europa League play‑offs, Rangers and Hearts discovered their opponents. Derek McInnes’s Rangers travel to Poland to face Jagiellonia Białystok for the first leg on Thursday, with the return leg at Ibrox the following week.
If Rangers prevail, they will meet either Northern Irish champions Larne or Georgian side Iberia 1999 in the next round. The first leg of that tie would be played on 20 August at Ibrox, with the second leg a week later. Should Larne be eliminated, they will fall into the Conference League play‑offs where they could be drawn against Lincoln Red Imps or Omonia. Hearts, who dropped into the Europa League after a Champions League exit, 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 Benfica in the third‑round qualifying tie – a match that takes them to Portugal for the first leg on Thursday and back to Edinburgh for the second leg the following week. Like Rangers, Hearts will have a safety net: if they lose in the third round of the Europa League, they will still have a chance to qualify for the Conference League, where they could be drawn against Paide or SK Rapid.
Both clubs have asked for their domestic league fixtures that fall between the two legs of any potential play‑off tie to be postponed. Consequently, Rangers’ league match against St Mirren and Hearts’ trip to Falkirk have been rearranged to avoid a clash with European commitments. Motherwell’s European adventure sees them potentially facing Bundesliga side Freiburg – the previous season’s Europa League finalists – in the Conference League play‑off round, provided they can beat HJK Helsinki in the third qualifying round. Alfred Johansson’s Motherwell travel to Helsinki on Wednesday for the first leg, with the return leg at Fir Park slated for Thursday, 13 August.
Hibernian have also secured a place in the Conference League play‑offs. The Edinburgh club will meet the winner of a tie between KF Shkëndija and either IFK Gothenburg or Gent. Hibs will host Shkëndija on Thursday, with the decisive second leg on 13 August, aiming to secure a spot in the play‑off round that takes place on 20 and 27 August.
The schedule for the Conference League play‑offs is dense: first‑leg matches are set for 18/19 August, with second‑leg fixtures on 25/26 August for the Champions League qualifiers, while the Conference League play‑offs themselves run on 20 and 27 August. A long list of pairings across Europe has also been released, featuring clubs 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, Ferencvaros, Görnik Zabrze, KuPS Kuopio, Universitatea Craiova, Sint‑Truiden, Lincoln Red Imps, Omonia, Viktoria Plzeň, Shamrock Rovers, Egnatia, Lillestrøm, Pafos, Salzburg, PAOK, Anderlecht, Lech Poznań, KI Klaksvik, Thun, Vikingur Reykjavik, Hradec Králové, Besiktas, OFI Crete, Maccabi Tel Aviv, CSKA Sofia, and many more. These match‑ups illustrate the breadth of the UEFA club competitions, offering clubs from a wide range of leagues the chance to compete on the continental stage.
For Scottish clubs, the stakes are high: a successful run can bring significant financial rewards, increased exposure, and the prestige of playing against top European opposition. Conversely, a loss in the early rounds does not necessarily end the European season, as the tiered structure of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League ensures that teams have multiple pathways to remain in continental competition.
For Celtic, securing a group‑stage berth in the Champions League would be a major achievement, providing both a financial windfall and a platform to showcase the club’s talent against Europe’s elite. LASK, meanwhile, will be eager to cause an upset and earn a place in the premier competition.
Brighton’s journey is equally compelling. A victory over either CFR Cluj or Tromø would see them enter the Conference League group stage, where they could test themselves against clubs from across the continent and potentially advance further. The Seagulls have built a reputation for playing attractive, attacking football under their current manager, and a European campaign would give them an additional arena to demonstrate that style. Overall, the upcoming weeks promise a flurry of excitement for fans across the UK and Europe as clubs vie for the limited slots that lead to the lucrative group phases of UEFA’s tournaments.
The outcomes of these play‑off ties will shape the European landscape for the 2024‑25 season, determining which teams will enjoy the spotlight on the biggest stages and which will have to regroup for domestic competition.