When do Scotland's representatives start their European campaigns?

STV News

3 days ago

Aberdeen's Scottish Cup triumph at Hampden didn't just end the Dons' long wait for the trophy and spark wild celebrations, it also finalised Scotland's European representatives for next season.
Jimmy Thelin and his players were already assured of a place in UEFA competition.
But the penalty shoot-out victory settled which competition they start in, and how other clubs are affected.
With five teams flying the flag for Scotland across three competitions, we've broken down the path to group stage football and the challenges that face our teams. SNS Group GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Celtic lift the trophy at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Celtic and St Mirren at Celtic Park, on May 17, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ross MacDonald / SNS Group)
Becoming champions of Scotland again means Celtic are in the Champions League once more, but this year there is no direct entry to the League Phase of the competition.
Brendan Rodgers' side showed real progress in the competition under the new format last season, setting up a dramatic and memorable head-to-head with Bayern Munich in the knock-out stage.
This time around, Celtic will need to come through a two-legged tie to reach the elite stage, with Scotland's coefficient meaning our title winners enter at the play-off stage.
The good news is that Rijeka's title win in Croatia has nudged Celtic into the seeded side of the draw, theoretically making the task a little easier.
Celtic's return to European action begins with the first leg of the play-off on August 19/20, with the second leg a week later.
The draw for the play-off round takes place on August 4. SNS Group GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 14: Rangers' Nicolas Raskin (L) celebrates scoring to make it 3-1 with teammates Cyriel Dessers and Mohamed Diomande during a William Hill Premiership match between Rangers and Dundee United at Ibrox Stadium, on May 14, 2025, in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)
Rangers endured a season to forget domestically, but the bright spot was a thrilling run to the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
That journey began after a dramatic, and controversial, loss to Dynamo Kyiv in the Champions League third qualifying round at Hampden saw them drop down a tier in European competition.
As Premiership runners-up, Rangers get another crack at the Champions League this time around but they will; have to go through three rounds of qualifying to reach the glamour and the money of the League Phase.
The Ibrox club, who will be under new management and new ownership, will start in the second qualifying round, with the first leg on July 22/23 and the return match a week later.
With only six teams in the League Path of qualifying at that stage, and Rangers among the seeds, they already know their three possible opponents. Greek side Panathinaikos, Swiss league runners-up Servette, or Norwegians Brann Bergen could be heading to Ibrox and the draw will take place on June 18.
Rangers would be seeded if they progress to the third qualifying round, where Fenerbahce and Nice are already confirmed as possible opponents, along with the winners of ties involving Red Bull Salzburg and Viktoria Plzen.
Reaching the play-off round, the Ibrox side would no longer be seeded and would face one of two possible teams. Standing in wait would be the winners of the ties involving Benfica and Club Brugge.
If the team lose in Champions League qualification at any stage, the picture becomes a little more complicated.
Losing in the Champions League second qualifying round would put Rangers in the Europa League third qualifying round, where seeding isn't guaranteed. The team would have to get through that tie and a play-off round to make the competition proper and have hopes of emulating or bettering last season's run deep into the tournament.
Disappointment in the Europa League would still bring the consolation of another chance at group stage football via the Conference League.
A Europa qualifying exit would mean entering in the next stage of Conference qualifying. So a second round defeat in Europa League qualifying would mean a place in the third round of the Conference League. Losing the Europa League play-off would mean direct entry into the Conference League group stage.
The only way Rangers could fail to have League Phase football would be to exit Champions League qualifying, lose in the Europa League qualifiers before the play-off stage and then lose a two-legged Conference League qualifier or play-off.
All eyes will be on the top competition though, and Rangers will be keenly awaiting the Champions League second qualifying draw in just three weeks' time. SNS Group ABERDEEN, SCOTLAND – MAY 24: Aberdeen Manager Jimmy Thelin is pictured leading the celebrations during the Aberdeen bus parade to celebrate winning the Scottish Gas Scottish Cup, on May 24, 2025, in Aberdeen, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Scates / SNS Group)
A slump at the end of an up-and-down Premiership campaign had Aberdeen drop to fifth in the table and contemplating Conference League qualifiers if they failed to deliver an upset in the Scottish Cup final.
Fast forward one week and a tense penalty shootout at Hampden, and Aberdeen fans were not only celebrating a cup triumph but also the fact that they had guaranteed group stage football in Europe.
Jimmy Thelin's side enter Europa League qualifying just one two-legged tie away from the League Phase, significant prize money and some undoubted glamour ties.
Seeding hasn't yet been settled for that stage but regardless of how it works, Aberdeen will face a tough task. Six teams will have dropped down from Champions League qualifying as possible opponents and teams of the level of PAOK or Braga could have made it to that stage.
The consolation is that even defeat would see Aberdeen drop straight into the Conference League and a guaranteed six games.
Europa League remains the main target and the Red Army will be eagerly awaiting the play-off round draw on August 4 and that return to Europe in the first leg of the tie on August 21. SNS Group EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Hibs fans during a William Hill Premiership match between Hibernian and Rangers at Easter Road Stadium, on May 17, 2025, in Edinburgh, Scotland. (Photo by Sammy Turner / SNS Group)
An incredible resurgence in the second half of the season under David Gray saw Hibs climb to third in the table and were it not for Aberdeen's Hampden glory, the Easter Road side would have been the ones celebrating guaranteed group stage football.
Instead, Hibs will begin in the second qualifying round of the Europa League on July 24 and have to come through three ties to reach the competition proper.
Gray's side will be unseeded when the draw takes place on June 18 and while the full list of teams they could face has yet to be confirmed, Braga and Anderlecht are already known possible opponents, demonstrating the scale of the task.
Exit at any stage of Europa League qualifying would mean going into the next round of Conference League games, meaning there's plenty of possibility for the Easter Road side to have a long European campaign even if they don't have success initially. SNS Group DUNDEE, SCOTLAND – MAY 17: Dundee United fans on the pitch at full time during a William Hill Premiership match between Dundee United and Aberdeen at the CalForth Construction Arena at Tannadice Park, on May 17, 2025, in Dundee, Scotland. (Photo by Roddy Scott / SNS Group)
Dundee United enjoyed a thrilling end to the Premiership season when they defeated Aberdeen and leapfrogged them into fourth place on the final day of the season, but the Dons had the last laugh when their Scottish Cup triumph bumped their rivals into the Conference League instead of the Europa League.
That pain will have faded some by the time the qualifiers come around, and United will be hoping to make the most of a competition that's designed to be accessible to clubs across the continent.
Jim Goodwin's side go into the second qualifying round, and will need to win three ties to bank six guaranteed League Phase games. But the names in Conference League qualification, at least in the early stages, are not as stellar as the bigger competitions.
United will be seeded for their first tie, and among the many possible opponents from Europe's smaller leagues are names like Dungannon Swifts, Drogheda United, AIK and MSK Zilina.
If the Tannadice side get through, they'll be unseeded in the third qualifying round as the competition heats up. At that stage, United would face the winners of ties including AZ Alkmaar, Sparta Prague and Maccabi Haifa.
Defeating one of those teams would secure progress to the play-off stage where the opposition could vary from teams who have come through qualifying like United, or the bad luck of facing one of the top teams like Nottingham Forest, Fiorentina or Strasbourg.
What is certain, is that United will kick off their European campaign on July 24, and the identity of their opponent will be known on June 18.
There's one other important piece of fixture news to remember this year. While the domestic season will be under way by the time any of our teams are taking part in the crucial play-off ties, the SPFL has taken a step to help.
Each team will now have permission to postpone one league match to aid their preparations when they are one step away from the group stages.
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