Celtic and Bodø/Glimt Take a Big Step Toward the Champions League League Phase After First-Leg Wins
By: Dr. Talal Othman | thegccsport.com | August 20, 2026
Scotland's Celtic and Norway's Bodø/Glimt took a major step toward securing their places in the new 36-club league phase of the UEFA Champions League, after both sides claimed important wins in the first leg of the play-off round on Wednesday evening.
Celtic Cruise Past LASK 3-0
At home in Glasgow, Celtic had little trouble seeing off visitors LASK of Austria, winning 3-0 in a result that significantly boosts their qualification chances ahead of next week's return leg in Austria.
Forward Benjamin Nygren opened the scoring for the Scottish side in the 26th minute, before Camilo Durán turned in a standout performance with a personal double in the 38th and 67th minutes, effectively settling the first leg in the Hoops' favor before the second-leg calculations even begin.
Bodø/Glimt Return from Holland with a Valuable Win
In the other tie, Bodø/Glimt came away from NEC Nijmegen's stadium in the Netherlands with a valuable 3-1 victory, putting one foot in the league phase ahead of hosting the return leg on home soil in Norway.
The Norwegian side raced into a three-goal lead through Sondre Brunstad Fet in the 25th minute, Andreas Helmersen in the 44th, and Haitam Aleesami in the 50th, before Clément Bischof pulled one back for the hosts in the 58th minute without changing the overall picture of the match.
Other Results in the Play-Off Round
Elsewhere in the play-off round, Israel's Hapoel Beer Sheva defeated hosts Sabah of Azerbaijan 2-1, while Slovakia's Slovan Bratislava and Slovenia's Celje played out a 1-1 draw in a tightly contested match that left the tie undecided ahead of the second leg.
A Valuable Spot Awaits the Winners
The play-off round is the final stop before reaching the new league phase of the Champions League, contested in a single-table format among 36 clubs since the competition's format was overhauled two seasons ago. Qualifying for this stage brings substantial financial and commercial rewards for the clubs involved, as well as a positive impact on their national federations' European coefficient.
The return legs will be played next week, deciding the final tickets to the league phase, which kicks off in September.
