Celtic will return to the Champions League qualifying playoffs for the 2025/26 season due to Scotland's drop in UEFA coefficient rankings. Despite a commanding lead in the Scottish Premiership, the Hoops will need to navigate a challenging playoff round. Potential opponents include Slovan Bratislava, Basel, Qarabag, Ludogrets Razgrad, and Sturm Graz.
Last term's title win was the last that catapulted the Hoops straight into the big time, as they successfully negotiated the revamped format and booked their spot in the playoff round. A 2-1 home defeat to Bayern Munich means they'll need to produce one of their greatest-ever modern-day results and stage a turnaround in the Allianz Arena to continue their journey.
With leagues across Europe entering the decisive months, potential champions are emerging, with some in a similar position to Celtic, possessing commanding leads and looking nailed on to finish top of the pile and book their playoff spot along with their winners' medals. The good news is Celtic are likely to be seeded, with FC Copenhagen, Bodo/Glimt, Crvena Zvezda and Ferencvaros joining them, assuming they all remain at the summit for the remainder of the season.
And there could be a quickfire reunion with Slovan Bratislava, which will have Hoops fans rubbing their hands. Celtic made mincemeat of the Slovak champs in this year's Champions League, battering them 5-1 at Parkhead. They sit six points clear of MSK Zilina in the Slovak top flight after 19 games.
CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CELTIC QUALIFIERS SCOTLAND PLAYOFFS
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