Celtic will find out this week who their opponents will be for the 2024/25 Champions League league phase as the competition takes a new shape.
The group stage has been replaced with a Swiss style league table and will offer fans a completely different experience to what they’ve been used to before.
Of course, Celtic qualified automatically after lifting yet another Scottish Premiership title in May and will once again pit their wits against Europe’s elite.
Brendan Rodgers has made it his mission to improve Celtic’s fortunes in the Champions League with progression to the knockout play-offs in the Northern Irishman’s sights.
As we all know however, that’s going to be a mighty strenuous task. It was last achieved in 2012/13 under Neil Lennon before Celtic lost to Juventus in the last 16.
Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The Champions League draw is upon us so here, 67 Hail Hail provide you with everything you need to know including the draw date and time, the new format explained, the pots, who the Hoops could face and more.
Champions League new format explained
The Champions League has moved from a group stage to a league phase, marking an unprecedented shift in how teams navigate their way through the competition.
Celtic will enter into this league phase as one of 36 teams and will play eight games – four at home and four on the road.
Where they finish at the end of the league phase will decide their progress to either the knockout stage, the knockout play-off stage or elimination altogether.
- 1st to 8th qualify for the knockout stage
- 9th to 24th qualify for two-legged knockout play-off round
- 25th to 36th are eliminated from the tournament
It should be noted that if Celtic finish 25th or below in the league phase, they will not drop down into the Europa League.
Three points for a win, one for a draw and zero for a loss. If the Bhoys finish the league phase level on points with another team, rankings are then decided via goal difference, goals scored, away goals scored and so on.
How does the Champions League draw work?
The 36 league phase teams will be seeded into four pots which is determined by their UEFA club coefficient at the beginning of the season.
Teams will be drawn against two sides from each of the four pots, totalling eight league phase games.
What pot is Celtic in?
Celtic will be one of nine teams placed into Pot 3 for the draw. This is based on the club’s UEFA coefficient at the beginning of the 2024/25 campaign.
Celtic’s potential Champions League opponents
Here are all four pots and who Celtic could face throughout their 2024/25 Champions League league phase.
Pots 3 and 4 will be decided in full after the Champions League play-off round concludes on Wednesday, August 28.
Pot 1
- Real Madrid
- Bayern Munich
- Paris Saint-Germain
- Inter Milan
- Borussia Dortmund
- RB Leipzig
- Barcelona
- Man City
- Liverpool
Pot 2
- Bayer Leverkusen
- Atletico Madrid
- Atalanta
- Juventus
- Benfica
- Club Brugge
- Shakhtar Donetsk
- AC Milan
- Arsenal
Pot 3
- Celtic
- Feyenoord
- Sporting CP
- PSV Eindhoven
- Dinamo Zagreb
- RB Salzburg
- Lille
- Crvena Zvedza
- Young Boys
Pot 4
- AS Monaco
- Aston Villa
- Bologna
- Girona
- VfB Stuttgart
- Sturm Graz
- Brest
- Slovan Bratislava
- Sparta Praha
Champions League draw date and time
The fully computerised draw for the league phase will commence on Thursday, August 29 at 5pm BST. It will be conducted at the Grimaldi Forum in Monaco.
How to watch Champions League draw
Celtic fans can watch the draw live on TNT Sports provided they have a subscription.
If you don’t have a TNT Sports subscription, you can watch the draw for free on UEFA’s official live stream or via the TNT Sports YouTube channel.
2024/25 Champions League schedule
- Matchday 1: September 17–19
- Matchday 2: October 1-2
- Matchday 3: October 22-23
- Matchday 4: November 5-6
- Matchday 5: November 26-27
- Matchday 6: December 10-11
- Matchday 7: January 21-22
- Matchday 8: January 29
- Knockout Play-Offs: February 11-12 & 18-19
- Round of 16: March 4-5 & 11-12
- Quarter-Finals: April 8-9 & 15-16
- Semi-Finals: April 29-30 & May 6-7
- Final: May 31
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