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:
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
- The draw for the final round of Champions League play-off fixtures takes place in Nyon from 11am BST
- Celtic will face either Slovan Bratislava or Kazakh side FC Kairat
- Rangers will play either Club Brugge or RB Salzburg
- Play-off matches will be played across the weeks of 18/19 August and 26/27 August
Aberdeen find out Europa League opponents
12:30 , Chris WilsonAberdeen 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?
12:15 , Chris WilsonLeague 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
12:02 , Chris WilsonSlovan 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
11:53 , Chris WilsonClubBrugge 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?
11:45 , Chris WilsonOf 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?
11:35 , Chris WilsonTies 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
11:30 , Chris WilsonHere’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
11:24 , Chris WilsonIf 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
11:18 , Chris WilsonSo 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.
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:13 , Chris WilsonRangers or Plzeň vs Club Brugge or RB Salzburg
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:11 , Chris WilsonCeltic vs Kairat or Slovan Bratislava
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:15 , Chris WilsonFeyenoord or Fenerbahce v Nice or Benfica
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:11 , Chris WilsonBodo/Glimt vs Sturm Graz
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:10 , Chris WilsonWinners of pair 2 vs 6
Lech Poznań or FK Crvena Zvezda vs FC Dynamo Kyiv or Pafos FC
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:09 , Chris WilsonWinners of Pair 3 v Winners of 5
So that’ll be:
Ludogorets or Ferencvaros vs KF Shkëndija or Qarabağ FK
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:15 , Chris WilsonFC Basel 1893 vs Malmö FF or F.C. Copenhagen
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:07 , Chris WilsonWe’re walking through the draw procedure as we speak, so we’ll be underway very soon.
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
11:03 , Chris WilsonThe draw is underway now, with some brief explanations and announcements to start with.
No ex-footballer special guest today.
Draw underway soon
10:59 , Chris WilsonIn theory, the draw should be getting started now, though Uefa tend to drag these things out a bit!
Who could Rangers face?
10:54 , Chris WilsonRangers must beat Plzen before reaching the playoff draw, where they’d face one of the following League Path winners:
- Nice (France) or Benfica (Portugal)
- RB Salzburg (Austria) or Club Brugge (Belgium)
If Rangers are unable to qualify for the Champions League league phase, they’ll drop into the Europa League.
Who could Celtic face?
10:50 , Chris WilsonCeltic are seeded, so they’ll avoid sides including Bodo/Glimt, Copenhagen, and Ferencvaros.
Potential opponents for the Scottish champions include:
- FC Basel (Switzerland)
- Sturm Graz (Austria)
- Kairat (Kazakhstan) or Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia)
- Dynamo Kyiv (Ukraine) or Pafos (Cyprus)
- Shkendija (North Macedonia) or Qarabag (Azerbaijan)
2025 Final recap
10:46 , Chris WilsonFor those who don’t remember, it was PSG who ran out as victors in the 2025 final with a brutal 5-0 demolition of Italian side Inter Milan.
Ousmane Dembele and Desire Doue were among the chief tormentors as the French side won a maiden European Cup and became just the second side from the country to do so.
Who has already qualified?
10:36 , Chris WilsonThe full list of sides is below:
England: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham, Newcastle
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
What are the important Champions League dates?
10:27 , Chris WilsonThese are the dates for the diary in the 2025/26 Champions League:
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)
When will the play-off ties be played?
10:20 , Chris WilsonWhen is the draw?
10:15 , Chris WilsonThe draw will take place on Monday, 4 August at 11am BST (12pm local time) at Uefa HQ in Nyon, Switzerland.
How can I watch it?
Viewers in the UK can watch the play-off draw on TNT Sports 2 and discovery+, with coverage beginning at 11am.
You can purchase a TNT Sports subscription via discovery+ here, for only £30.99 per month.
Which teams are involved in the draw?
10:09 , Chris WilsonFour teams have qualified directly for the play-offs via their results last season. Those sides are Celtic, SturmGraz, Bodo/Glimt and FC Basel.
The teams who win their ties in the third qualifying round will take a place in the play-offs, though as the draw takes place before those ties are played, ‘both’ sides will be in the draw today.
The ties in the third qualifying round are as follows:
OGC Nice (FRA) vs SL Benfica (POR)
FC Salzburg (AUT) vs Club Brugge KV (BEL)
RangersFC (SCO) vs FC Viktoria Plzeň (CZE)
Feyenoord (NED) vs Fenerbahçe SK (TUR)
Malmö FF (SWE) vs F.C. Copenhagen (DEN)
Lech Poznań (POL) vs FK Crvena Zvezda (SRB)
Ludogorets 1945 (BUL) vs Ferencvárosi TC (HUN)
KF Shkëndija (MKD) vs Qarabağ FK (AZE)
FC Kairat Almaty (KAZ) vs ŠK Slovan Bratislava (SVK)
FC Dynamo Kyiv (UKR) vs Pafos FC (CYP)
Champions League play-off draw LIVE
10:04 , Chris WilsonThe draw for the final round of play-off ties in the Champions League will take place today, with some of Europe’s biggest teams waiting to see their routes to the competition proper.
The play-offs mark the final hurdle before the competition begins in earnest with the league phase, and clubs including previous winners Benfica and Feyenoord – as well as Rangers and Club Brugge – are in the draw ahead of their own two-legged ties in the third qualifying round.
At the other end of the spectrum, minnows including Pafos and Macedonian side KF Shkendija are hoping to make the league phase for the first time, with every club hoping to reap the rewards of a place in Europe’s premier cup competition.
Good morning!
09:58 , Chris WilsonHello and welcome to TheIndependent’s live coverage of the draw for the final round of play-off fixtures in the Champions League!
British sides Celtic and Rangers will find out their potential paths to the league phase of the competition, with European giants including Benfica and Feyenoord also waiting to find out their paths.
We’ll have all the latest updates right here.