When are the Champions League and Europa League draws? Date and live stream as Celtic & Rangers discover fate
Celtic and Rangers are fighting for a place in Europe’s elite competition
Scottish champions Celtic and runners-up Rangers face a season-defining week of action as they prepare for the second leg of their UEFA Champions League play-off matches.
Celtic are locked level after a frustrating 0-0 draw at home to FC Kairat at Parkhead and now have to travel to Kazakhstan and win to secure their place in Europe’s elite competition. Meanwhile, Rangers, who have struggled to find any sort of form under new boss Russell Martin, face the unenviable task of travelling to Belgian Pro League runners-up Club Brugge as they look for a miraculous turnaround after a demoralising 3-1 defeat against Nicky Hayen’s side at Ibrox.
Both sides are desperate to secure their place in the league-phase of the Champions League as they look to not only test themselves against the best teams on the planet but also gain a huge cash boost which could prove pivotal in the final week of the transfer window.
When is the Champions League 2025/26 league phase draw?
The draw for this season’s Champions League takes place in Monaco on Thursday, 28 August. It begins at 6pm BST and is guaranteed to feature six Premier League teams including Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle United and Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur.
If both Celtic and Rangers were to qualify it would mean that eight British teams would be taking part in the tournament, making up 22.2% of the teams in the competition.
How to watch the Champions League draw
UEFA and TNT Sports will both offer a free live stream on their websites and YouTube channels. The league phase consists of 36 teams, who will all play eight matches in total with the opponents coming from each pot with two teams selected from each, one being at home and one other fixture taking place away.
Teams cannot play another team from the same country and are not permitted to face more than two teams from one country. Those finishing inside the top eight go straight into the last 16, then the next 16 teams advance to the play-off stage, with eight of those 16 teams progressing to the last 16. Celtic finished 22nd in last year’s competition before falling short at the play-off stage against German champions Bayern Munich.
When is the Europa League draw?
Celtic and Rangers are both waiting to secure their place in the Champions League. If the pair are unsuccessful they will both automatically drop into the Europa League instead which follows a similar format, with the draw for that competition instead taking place on Friday 29 August at 12pm.
Rangers competed in the Europa League last season, finishing in eighth position during the league phase and eventually progressing all the way to the quarter-finals after a memorable win over Fenerbahce in the last 16. Their journey last term ended with a 2-0 aggregate defeat to Athletic Bilbao despite a spirited 0-0 draw in the first leg at Ibrox.