Champions League play-off draw LIVE: Celtic and Rangers learn opponents for final round of qualifying
Some of Europe’s top clubs will learn their route into the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League
The draw for the last round of play-off ties in the Champions League has taken place, with Celtic and Rangers learning their routes to the league phase for 2025/26.
The Scottish champions will face either Kazakh side FC Kairat or Slovan Bratislava, with Rangers facing more difficult opponents in either RB Salzburg or Club Brugge.
Elsewhere, previous winners Benfica were drawn against either Feyenoord or Fenerbahce, while FC Basel will take on Malmo or F.C. Copenhagen.
The play-offs are last round of qualifying matches before the ‘competition proper’ begins in September with the league phase, with ties taking place in the weeks of 18/19 August and 26/27 August.
Follow the latest updates from Nyon below:
Aberdeen find out Europa League opponents
Aberdeen are the only British side in the Europa League (pending Nottingham Forest’s potential involvement) and they have just found out their opponents.
They will face either Romanian side FCSB or Kosovan side Drita.
Later on Crystal Palace will find out their provisional Conference League opponents.
What are the important Champions League dates?
League phase matchday 1: 16–18 September 2025
League phase matchday 8: 28 January 2026
Knockout phase play-offs: 17/18 & 24/25 February 2026
Round of 16: 10/11 & 17/18 March 2026
Quarter-finals: 7/8 & 14/15 April 2026
Semi-finals: 28/29 April & 5/6 May 2026
Final: 30 May 2026 (Budapest)
Celtic potential opponents
Slovan Bratislava are the Slovakian champions and the country’s most successful club, having secured their 30th league title last year.
In 1969, Slovan beat Barcelona in the final of the Cup Winners' Cup to become the first and only Slovakian team to win a European competition.
The last time they met Celtic was last season, when the Scottish side won 5-1 in the opening game of the Champions League group phase.
FC Kairat are a side from Almaty in Kazakhstan, and they are champions of the Kazakhstan Premier League. Last season, they won the fourth domestic title in their history.
Despite their domestic success, the club have never made the group or league phase in any competition.
Rangers potential opponents
Club Brugge finished second in the Belgian League last season, and reached the last-16 of the Champions League before losing 6-1 on aggregate to Aston Villa.
Their notable players include midfielders Ardon Jashari and Raphael Onyedika, as well as new young Greek winger Kristos Tzolis.
Salzburg finished a narrow second in the Austrian Bundesliga behind Sturm Graz, having come a low 34th in the league phase table in this competition.
Who has already qualified?
Of course, we already know the majority of the sides who’ll form the table for the 25/26 league phase.
Premier League champions Liverpool will be joined by another five English sides after the league was awarded five places and then Tottenham went on to win the Europa League!
Defending champions PSG will be joined by several of the continent’s biggest sides too, including Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich.
The full list of sides is below:
England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle
Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atlético de Madrid, Athletic Club, Villarreal
Italy: Napoli, Inter, Atalanta, Juventus
Germany: Bayern München, Bayer Leverkusen, Eintracht Frankfurt, Dortmund
France: Paris Saint-Germain, Marseille, Monaco
Netherlands: PSV, Ajax
Portugal: Sporting CP
Belgium: Union Saint-Gilloise
Türkiye: Galatasaray
Czechia: Slavia Praha
Greece: Olympiacos
When will the play-off ties be played?
Ties will take place across two legs on 19/20 August and 26/27 August 2025. All ties will kick off at 9pm CET.
Draw in full
Here’s the draw in full then:
Feyenoord/Fenerbahce vs. Nice/Benfica
Rangers/Viktoria Plzen vs. Salzburg/Club Brugge
Ferencvaros/Ludogorets vs. Qarabag/Shkendija
Red Star/Lech Poznan vs. Dynamo Kyiv/Pafos
Bodo/Glimt vs. Sturm Graz
Celtic vs. Slovan Bratislava/Kairat
Basel vs. Copenhagen/Malmo
Rangers to face
If Rangers manage to get past Viktoria Plzen in the third qualifying round, they will play RB Salzburg or Club Brugge.
Rangers would be the home side in the first leg on 19 or 20 August, though that could need changed due to policing.
If Rangers lose either to Plzen or in the play-off round, they drop into the Europa League.
Celtic to face Kairat or Slovan Bratislava
So Celtic will face either the Kazakh or Slovakian champions.
The first leg will take place in Glasgow on 19 or 20 August, with the return leg in Almaty or Bratislava a week later.
The winner over two legs goes into the league phase, with the loser dropping into the Europa League.
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