Celtic could be handed one of several heavyweight European games when the Europa League league-phase draw takes place on Friday, with Juventus, Milan and Bayer Leverkusen all among the possible opponents.
The Hoops will enter the draw from Pot 2, but under UEFA’s current format that does not prevent the Hoops from facing clubs from any of the four pots.
There is also the possibility of a fixture vs an English side.
Crystal Palace, Bournemouth and Sunderland are all sitting in Pot 3, meaning any of the three could be drawn against Celtic during the Europa League league phase.
That gives Friday’s draw a different feel from the previous group-stage format, where seeding offered more protection. Celtic will instead be put alongside two clubs from each pot, giving the Bhoys eight fixtures in total.
Four will be played at Celtic Park and four away.
The strongest names are concentrated in Pot 1, where Celtic could be paired with Juventus, Milan, Bayer Leverkusen, Lyon, AZ Alkmaar, Olympiacos, Real Sociedad, Marseille or Benfica.
There are also several familiar European opponents elsewhere in the draw.
Union Saint-Gilloise, Ferencvaros, Viktoria Plzen, Salzburg, Dinamo Zagreb, Sparta Prague, Rennes and Anderlecht make up the rest of Pot 2 alongside Celtic.
Pot 4 contains Hoffenheim, Besiktas, Torreense, Hapoel Be’er Sheva, NEC, Levski Sofia, Ararat-Armenia, Lillestrom and OFI.
The draw takes place at 12pm UK time on Friday.
The timing of the draw also puts Celtic’s remaining transfer business into even sharper focus ahead of next Thursday’s deadline.
The club must submit their Europa League squad by midnight next Wednesday, 2 September.
The Scottish summer transfer window, however, does not close until Thursday, 3 September.
That means Celtic could still complete domestic transfer business after their UEFA squad has been submitted, but any player signed after the European registration deadline would not be eligible for the Europa League league phase.
General view of the stadium before the UEFA Europa League, knockout phase play offs, first leg match at Celtic Park, Glasgow. Picture date: Thursday February 19, 2026.
With Celtic still expected to add a number of players before the transfer window shuts, those 24-hours could become important if any deals run late.
Friday’s draw will also give the Hoops a much clearer idea of the quality of teams waiting in the autumn.
The league phase is set to begin on 16 and 17 September and runs until late January.
A top-eight finish would send Celtic directly into the last 16 of the competition, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will have to go through a Europa League knockout play-off round.
Tees for Tims
Tees for Tims