Former European champion Celtic has been eliminated from the UEFA Champions League 2025-26 during the qualifiers, losing to Kazakhstan’s Kairat Almaty in a penalty shootout 3-2 on Tuesday. The match ended goalless over both legs.
Kairat will make its debut in the main competition, joined by Norway’s Bodo/Glimt and Cyprus’s Pafos, who also qualified for the first time.
Celtic faced disappointment, missing three penalties, with the final chance squandered by Daizen Maeda.
The game went into extra time without any goals, mirroring the first leg in Glasgow.
Luke McCowan nearly scored for Celtic in the 112th minute, but his shot was expertly saved by Kairat goalkeeper Temirlan Anarbekov.
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Bodo/Glimt, last season’s Europa League semifinalist, advanced despite a 2-1 loss to Sturm Graz in Austria, having won the first leg 5-0 to secure a 6-2 aggregate win.
This is Norway’s first representative in the competition since 2007, when Rosenborg played.
Pafos in Cyprus celebrated their league-stage qualification after defeating Red Star Belgrade 3-2 on aggregate. Home player Jaja scored in the 89th minute, tying the match before they held on through nearly 10 minutes of stoppage time, creating an exciting atmosphere in the coastal city.
The league-phase draw is set for Thursday in Monaco, with matches scheduled from September 16 to 18.
Published on Aug 27, 2025