Celtic’s 2023/24 Scottish Premiership title win means they have automatically qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League alongside 35 other teams.
A new, expanded format comes into effect after the summer and Celtic are set for a guaranteed eight matches in the tournament – four home and four away against eight different opponents.
It’s no longer called the group stage, replaced by a ‘League Phase’ in UEFA parlance – one giant table of 36 sides with various cut-off points to qualify for the knockout stages of the competition.
The top eight teams will go through to the last 16 while those placed from 9th to 24th will take part in a play-off to join them. Those finishing 25th or below will be knocked out of Europe completely with no parachute to the UEFA Europa League.
As usual, clubs will be split into four distinct pots to determine the fixture list. Celtic will play two teams from each of the pots, including their own.
Celtic have a chance to be in Pot 3 of the Champions League
Despite lacklustre European results in recent seasons, Celtic could actually find themselves moving up a pot in next year’s edition after their pot four status this term.
Currently, five confirmed entrants are ranked below them in the co-efficient rankings – Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona and Stuttgart.
Celtic will need another four qualifiers with a poorer coefficient record from the 13 sides yet to confirm their participation.
It’s not impossible but it’s not a sure thing either. Current projections put Celtic right on the cusp of being a low Pot 3 or a high Pot 4 team.
Potential European opponents come into view for Celtic
Pot 1 is currently confirmed to contain Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig with one other to join them.
Pot 2 will feature Atletico Madrid, Juventus and Arsenal alongside six others.
Nobody is confirmed to be in Pot 3 quite yet while Bologna, Girona and Stuttgart will definitely take their place in Pot 4 alongside six others.
Other known entrants include Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen (Pots 1 or 2), as well as AC Milan, Feyenoord, Sporting and PSV Eindhoven (Pots 2 or 3). As discussed, Celtic, Monaco and Aston Villa could still end up in Pots 3 or 4.
The picture will become clearer over the coming weeks with six more teams confirmed before another seven enter from the qualifying process this summer.
As you can see, it’ll be an exciting and tough draw regardless of how it shakes out for the Scottish champions. Celtic will be tested to the maximum across the eight games.
There’s actually now no real advantage to which pot you are placed in as teams will play two others from their own pot regardless.
That makes it an open and unpredictable tournament for the Bhoys – and the most lucrative yet.