Celtic will face LASK of Austria in the Champions League play-off round, following the Scottish side’s qualification directly to this stage. The first leg is set for August 18 and 19, with Celtic hosting the match at home, while the return fixture takes place the following week.
LASK claimed the Austrian domestic title last season, marking their second national championship and first since 1965. Like Celtic under Martin O’Neill, the Austrian club secured direct entry into the play-off round. Given the alternative opponents that could have been drawn, including Viking Stavanger, Celje, Ararat-Armenia, Kairat Almaty, Levski Sofia, AGF Aarhus, and Sabah, this fixture represents a challenging draw for the Scottish champions. While LASK’s coefficient ranking falls below that of Celje, Austria’s league holds a substantially higher ranking than Slovenia’s domestic competition.
Beyond Celtic’s draw, several other Scottish clubs now have greater clarity regarding their potential Europa League and Conference League opponents. UEFA confirmed the groupings on Monday morning, establishing the brackets for upcoming play-off draws scheduled for noon and one hour later respectively.
Rangers face the possibility of meeting Lillestrom of Norway, the victor of a Larne versus Iberia 1999 tie, or losers from Champions League qualifying matches should they overcome Jagiellonia Bialystok. Hearts, having dropped from Champions League qualifying, will contest Benfica with four possible play-off opponents awaiting the winner. Hibernian could face Brighton & Hove Albion, Monaco, or multiple other European clubs depending on their result against Shkendija of Macedonia. Motherwell holds the same potential Conference League opponents as Hearts should they defeat HJK Helsinki of Finland.
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