The 12 Scottish Premiership teams Celtic face before & after Champions League group games

Celtic’s 2023-24 Scottish Premiership fixture list has been revealed, and fans are already wondering how that will impact their Champions League campaign.

The Hoops return to Europe’s elite club competition for the second year in a row, and the countdown to the start of the group stage in September is well underway.

Here GlasgowWorld takes a look at the teams Brendan Rodgers’s side face before and after their all-important six European games:

When is Celtic’s first Champions League group game?

Matchday One of the Champions League group stage gets underway on September 19 an 20, which falls either side of Celtic’s home clash against Dundee (16th) and an away trip to Livingston (23rd) The rest is as followed:

Motherwell - Away (Sept 30)

Champions League Matchday Two: October 3 and 4

Kilmarnock - Home (Oct 7)

Hearts - Away (Oct 21)

Champions LeagueMatchday Three: October 24 and 25

Hibernian - Away (Oct 28)

Ross County - Away (Nov 4)

Champions League Matchday Four: November 7 and 8

Aberdeen - Home (Nov 11)

Motherwell - Home (Nov 25)

Champions League Matchday Five: November 28 and 29

St Johnstone - Away (Dec 2)

Kilmarnock - Away (Dec 9)

Champions League Matchday Six: December 12 and 13

Hearts - Home (Dec 16)

If Celtic gain qualification out of the group, the knockout stages begin in February 2024. The final is held at Wembley Stadium on June 1.

When in the Champions League group stage draw?

The draw for the Champions League group stage - which involves 32 clubs - is scheduled to take place on Thursday, August 31.

26 teams, including current Champions League holders Manchester City and previous season’s Europa League winners Sevilla, qualify automatically for the group stage, with the final six berths being decided via the play-offs.

Celtic skip the play-off phase as a result of finishing top as Scottish Premiership champions last term, but Glasgow rivals Rangers could be involved if they manage to come through a two-legged Third qualifying round tie.

Which teams could Celtic face in the group stage?

Here’s the updated list of clubs that have already qualified for the Champions League 2023-24 group stage:

Scotland: Celtic (pot 4)

England: Manchester City (pot 1), Arsenal (pot 2), Manchester United (pot 2), Newcastle United (pot 4)

Spain: Sevilla (pot 1), Barcelona (pot 1), Real Madrid (pot 2), Atletico Madrid (pot 2), Real Sociedad (pot 4)

Germany: Bayern Munich (pot 1), Borussia Dortmund (pot 2), RB Leipzig (Pot 2), Union Berlin (pot 4)

Italy: Napoli (pot 1), Inter Milan (pot 2), Lazio (pot 3), AC Milan (pot 3)

France: Paris Saint-Germain (pot 1), Lens (pot 4)

Portugal: Benfica (pot 1), Porto (pot 2)

Netherlands: Feyenoord (pot 1)

Serbia: Red Star Belgrade (pot 3)

Austria: RB Salzburg (pot 3)

Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk (pot 3)

*This excludes the teams competing in the qualifying rounds.