Now the 2023/24 season is done and dusted, plenty of Celtic fans are already looking excitedly to what’s ahead for the Bhoys next term.
As Callum McGregor eloquently noted after beating Rangers in the Scottish Cup Final, there’s no standing still at a club like this one.
The club are already busy planning for the summer transfer window with Brendan Rodgers admitting his phone won’t stop despite earning a holiday break over the next few weeks.
There are big things on the horizon for the Bhoys. Not only will they be looking to continue their dominance of Scottish football but there’s a new format in the UEFA Champions League to look forward to.
Gone is the traditional group stage, replaced by a ‘League Phase’ of 36 teams in a giant table. At the end of each team coming through an eight-game gauntlet, the top eight in the table automatically qualify for the last 16, while those placed ninth to 24th enter a play-off to complete the knockout stage line-up. Those finishing 25th to 36th will be knocked out of Europe with no parachute to the Europa League.
Celtic’s Champions League draw
Celtic will now play eight other teams in this opening phase of the tournament, up from three. That’s made up of two teams from each of UEFA’s four seeding pots – including the one that the Bhoys will land in.
As a result, there’s no real benefit to being a higher seed. From each pot, Celtic will play one team at home and the other away.
The draw for the League Phase takes place on 29th August following the conclusion of this summer’s qualifiers.
Of the 36 teams to play in the competition, 28 have been confirmed. These are, in order of seeding as it stands:
Pot 1 – Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-German, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona.
Pot 2 – Bayern Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge.
Pot 2 or 3 – Milan.
Pot 3 – Feyenoord, Sporting, PSV Eindhoven.
Pot 3 or 4 – Celtic, Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart.
Pot 4 – Sturm Graz, Brest.
Shakhtar Donetsk and Eintracht Frankfurt are waiting on the who the winners of this year’s final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund are to determine which will qualify, while another seven will come through this summer’s qualifying process. This is when the pots will be confirmed.
Key dates for Celtic in the 2024/25 Champions League
This time, Celtic’s guaranteed run in the tournament will span from mid-September all the way to late January – a change-up from the status quo of finishing up the groups before Christmas.
The full list of dates is:
- Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
- Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
- Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
- Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
- Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
- Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
- Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
- Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
The knockout round playoffs will take place on 11/12 & 18/19 February 2025 with the last 16 onwards running from March to a May final in Munich.
Even if the league phase is where the Bhoys start and stop, it is certain to be a packed European schedule at the highest level. That’s worth getting excited about and it’s worth the club investing in. Bring on the challenge.
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