Overview
- The Champions Path play‑off draw on Monday paired Celtic with Austrian champions LASK and UEFA confirmed the home leg for Wednesday 19 August and the away leg for Tuesday 25 August.
- UEFA requires Celtic to submit their play‑off squad by 13 August and allows at most two new signings to be registered for the tie by 23:00 on 18 August.
- Celtic have made only two summer signings, Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh, while the squad has seen multiple departures including Paulo Bernardo and reported interest in Arne Engels and Alistair Johnston.
- Winning the tie would secure entry to the Champions League league phase with a substantial financial uplift estimated at around £40m while the loser drops into the Europa League.
- The draw also mapped routes for Rangers, Hearts, Hibernian and Motherwell and leaves Scottish clubs racing a compressed calendar where transfer sales, late signings and domestic fixture changes will directly affect European preparation.