Champions League 26/27 playoff draw: TV and streaming details and Celtic's potential opponents
Here’s who Celtic could face in the Champions League playoff draw - and how to watch the draw live.
Celtic will discover which side they must navigate past to book their place in this season’s Champions League with the draw for the playoff round taking place in the coming days.
Having won the Scottish Premiership with a final-day win over Hearts last season, Martin O’Neill’s men are parachuted straight into the final stage of qualifying. This means they must navigate through just one two-legged tie to qualify for the League Phase of the competition.
Knocked out on penalties at the same stage by Kairat Almaty last season, Celtic will be hoping to erase the ghosts of Kazakhstan by ensuring they don’t suffer a similar fate and bring big Champions League nights back to Celtic Park in the 2026/27 season.
However, should they lose, the European campaign would not grind to an immediate halt, with Celtic immediately dropping into the Europa League, where they would enter at the League Phase.
Want to know who Celtic could face in their Champions League playoff? Here is everything you need to know about the draw, and how to watch it live:
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When is Champions League playoff draw?
The Champions League playoff qualifying draw takes place on Monday, August 3. It begins at 1pm UK time and will take place in Nyon, Switzerland.
Where can I watch the Champions League playoff draw?
UEFA say the seedings, any groupings and the procedure will be available here from 7.30am UK time on the day of the draw. The draw will not be broadcast on TV, however, it can be streamed via the UEFA website or their YouTube channel. The draw will begin at 11am UK time.
Who could Celtic face in the Champions League playoff?
After winning the Scottish Premiership last season, Celtic have been entered into the final playoff round of the Champions League, with ties being played on August 18/19 and August 25/26. If they win their two-legged tie, they’ll enter the competition proper, which begins at the League Phase.
Celtic will enter the draw as a seeded team, and UEFA will narrow this pool down into smaller sub-groups as of Monday, 3 August 2026. As it stands, Celtic could face any of the following:
- Viking
- LASK
- Kairat Almaty or Levski Sofia
- Celje or Ararat-Armenia
- AGF Arhus or Sabah
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