Champions League playoff: Bodø/Glimt all but through, Celje on the brink of history
Bodø/Glimt’s 3-1 win in Nijmegen and Celtic’s 3-0 victory in Glasgow give both clubs strong first-leg leads; Celje drew 1-1 away and can clinch a historic qualification at home.
Four more first-leg fixtures of the 2026–27 Champions League playoff round were played on 19 August 2026, producing clear advantages for several favourites and a tense result that leaves a Slovenian side on the verge of a milestone.
Key first-leg outcomes
Bodø/Glimt travelled to NEC Nijmegen and came away with a 3-1 victory, a result that leaves the Norwegian side strongly positioned to reach the group (or the new league) phase of the Champions League and suggests the return leg at their home ground will be largely procedural.
Celtic defeated LASK 3-0 at Celtic Park in Glasgow, giving the former European champions a commanding cushion ahead of the second leg in Austria.
Hapoel Be'er Sheva opened their tie with a 2-1 win over Sabah; the Israeli side had earlier eliminated Crvena Zvezda in the previous qualifying round and carried that momentum into this fixture.
In one of the more dramatic results, Celje secured a 1-1 draw away at Slovan Bratislava. With the return match scheduled in Slovenia, the Slovenian club stands a realistic chance to make history if they capitalise at home.
Return legs will decide which of these teams advance; after the results in Glasgow and Nijmegen, the ties look tilted but not yet concluded, while Celje and Slovan Bratislava head to the second leg with everything still to play for on Slovenian soil.
Photo: press material from the event
