When is the Champions League draw? What pot will Celtic be in? Fixture dates, £25m windfall and potential opponents

With Celtic having confirmed their status as treble winning champions of Scotland, they have once again ensured direct entry into next season’s UEFA Champions League and a guaranteed place in the group stage of Europe’s elite club competition.

The Hoops, who wrapped up a world record breaking eighth domestic treble at the weekend after a 3-1 win over Inverness Caledonian Thistle, don’t yet know who will be the man to lead them into the competion but that won’t matter as long as they are there.

Top tier European football will mean Celtic will play at least six games in the Champions League. Last season’s campaign alongside Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk ended in a disappointing bottom place finish in the four-team section, claiming just two points from a possible 18.

However, with that experience behind them, the Parkhead club will be aiming to make further strides in next season’s tournament with a new manager at the helm. Here, we provide all the key information ahead of the 2023/24 Champions League campaign:

Which teams have qualified so far?

As all of Europe’s major leagues have now reached a conclusion, the majority of confirmed teams have been decided for the next seaon’s competition.

The teams to have officially qualified so far include:

• Manchester City (England, Premier League)
• Arsenal (England, Premier League)
• Manchester United (England, Premier League)
• Newcastle United (England, Premier League)
• Bayern Munich (Germany, Bundesliga)
• Borussia Dortmund (Germany, Bundesliga)
• RB Leipzig (Germany, Bundesliga)
• Union Berlin (Germany, Bundesliga)
• Barcelona (Spain, La Liga)
• Real Madrid (Spain, La Liga)
• Atletico Madrid (Spain, La Liga)
• Real Sociedad (Spain, La Liga)
• Sevilla (Spain, La Liga)
• Napoli (Italy, Serie A)
• Lazio (Italy, Serie A)
• Inter Milan (Italy, Serie A)
• AC Milan (Italy, Serie A)
• Paris Saint-Germain (France, Ligue 1)
• Lens (France, Ligue 1)
• Celtic (Scotland, Premiership)
• S.L Benfica (Portugal, Primeira Liga)
• Porto (Portugal, Primeira Liga)
• Feyenoord (Netherlands, Eredivisie)
• Red Bull Salzburg (Austria, Austrian Bundesliga)
• Red Star Belgrade (Serbia, SuperLiga)
• Shakhtar Donetsk (Ukraine, Ukrainian Premier League)

Pot Structure

Pot 1 - Seven teams have already been confirmed for Pot which includes Sevilla, Manchester City, Barcelona, Napoli, Bayern Munich, PSG and Benfica. The other teams which could join them in Pot 1 are Inter Milan and Feyenoord depending on qualifiers with Feyenoord also having the potential to be in Pot 3.

Pot 2 - Seven teams have also been confirmed for Pot 2 which includes Real Madrid, Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, RB Leipzig, Porto and Arsenal. Other teams which could join Pot 2 include Shakhtar Donetsk or Inter Milan.

Pot 3 - Only four teams have qualified for Pot 3 which will include Red Bull Salzburg, AC Milan, Lazio and Red Star Belgrade. With so very few teams having already qualified for this pot it means that Real Sociedad, Newcastle United or Celtic could potentially join this pot along with four winners from the Champions path.

Pot 4 - Union Berlin and Lens will go straight into Pot 4 where it is likely that Celtic will will be unless there is any shocks during qualification.

Which pot will Celtic be in?

The Scottish champions have a co-efficient points rating of 31.000 and are likely to be in Pot 4 if qualification leads the seeded team to progress.

For Celtic to move into Pot 3, they will need the qualifying rounds to produce a number of shock results. Rangers have a co-efficient rating of 50.000 and could find themselves in Pot 3, but they will need to navigate two rounds of qualifiers as they did last season.

Teams from the same country cannot be drawn together, ruling out any Champions League derby clashes.

When is the Group Stage draw?

Celtic will discover their group stage opponents on Thursday, August 31 when the draw will be made after the qualifiers, which run from the end of June to the end of August are complete.

What are the key fixture dates?

Last season the six group stage fixtures were condensed due to the stage of the winter World Cup in Qatar. Next season they will be held between September and December:

• Matchday 1 - September 19/20
• Matchday 2 - October 3/4
• Matchday 3 - October 24/25
• Matchday 4 - November 7/8
• Matchday 5 - November 28/29
• Matchday 6 - December 12/13

The final of the competition in 2024 will be held in London at Wembley Stadium on June 1.

How much money can Celtic earn?

It was predicted the club earned an estimated £25.4million from participating in the tournament last season. That figure would increase if they manage to pick up more points and progress to the knockout stages.