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Celtic misses Champions League group stage after surrender against LASK

A 5-2 second-leg loss in Austria eliminates the Scottish champions 4-4 on aggregate after blowing a three-goal advantage.

Updated Aug 26, 2026 · 16:39 UTC1 reports

The short version

Celtic was eliminated from Champions League qualification after forfeiting a 3-0 first-leg lead, losing 5-2 to LASK in the second leg on a 90th-minute winner.
Manager Martin O'Neill accepted responsibility for the defeat, while critics and former players pointed to roster depth issues following recent key player departures.
Finance experts project the failure to qualify will cost Celtic over £20m, alongside a drop in the club's share price and a lower UEFA coefficient ranking for Scottish football.

Celtic lost 5-2 to LASK in the second leg in Austria, resulting in a 4-4 aggregate tie that eliminated Celtic on a 90th-minute winning goal by LASK.[BBC News]
Celtic has failed to reach the Champions League group stage in six of its last eight qualification attempts.[BBC News]
Celtic sold key squad members Daizen Maeda to Ipswich Town and Arne Engels to West Ham United ahead of the fixture.[BBC News]
Football finance analyst Kieran Maguire estimated the financial impact of missing the Champions League at more than £20m and noted a 4-5% drop in Celtic's share price.[BBC News]
Scotland's UEFA coefficient ranking fell to 18th place, and down to 19th on the live table, reducing future European qualification spots for Scottish league clubs.[BBC News]

The full extent of lost revenue from performance bonuses, sponsorship deals, and hospitality sales remains unconfirmed beyond preliminary estimates.[BBC News]
Whether Scotland's coefficient ranking will drop further depends on the upcoming Conference League results of Rangers, Hibernian, and Motherwell.[BBC News]