Saturday will see Celtic feature in a 62nd Scottish Cup final, eight more appearances than anyone else, having reached four in a row and eight across the last ten seasons. 12 months ago though, the Hoops were on the wrong end of a major upset, beaten on penalties by Aberdeen after a 1-1 draw. Fair to say, a lot has changed in Glasgow's East End since then, with Martin O'Neill's team seeking to avoid a repeat when they take on Neil Lennon's Dunfermline Athletic.
However, this final affects more than just the Hoops and the Pars. Two other clubs, namely Rangers and Hibernian, are eagerly awaiting the result at Hampden to find out their fate when it comes to European qualification.
Scottish European spots 2025/26
- 1. UEFA Champions League play-off round.
- 2. UEFA Champions League second qualifying round.
- 3. UEFA Europa League third qualifying round.
- 4. UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.
- 5. UEFA Conference League second qualifying round.
This can be a little bit confusing, so let's break it down. What do we know so far? Premiership champions Celtic, as they did last August, will enter the Champions League play-off round. Victory will see the Hoops enter the lucrative and glamorous league phase, while defeat would see them drop into the Europa League league phase.
Premiership runners-up Heart of Midlothian will begin their European campaign on 21/22 July in the Champions League second qualifying round; Bodø/Glimt, Olympiacos or Fenerbahçe will be their opponents. The Jambos would have to win three ties to get into the league phase, dropping down a competition after every defeat, so requiring two wins to get into the Europa League and one to secure Conference League football up until Christmas.
Now, this is where things get interesting. The third spot is reserved for the Scottish Cup winners, unless they finish in the top three of the Premiership. Thus, victory for Dunfermline Athletic on Saturday will guarantee them four European matches, having not entered UEFA competition for 19 years.
Thus, third place finishers Rangers need Celtic to win to be awarded the Europa League third qualifying round spot. The Gers have been in the group stages of at least the Europa League in each of the last eight seasons, and would need two victories to maintain that streak. Were the Pars to pull off a major shock, Danny Röhl's side would require three wins just to get into the Conference League.
Motherwell, having come fourth, can already start planning for a Conference League second qualifying round tie, while fifth placed Hibs need the second spot to drop down to them, thereby requiring a Celtic victory too.
Thus, if Dunfermline did pull off the improbable and beat Celtic on Saturday, there would be millions of Rangers fan worldwide laughing their heads of. However, in that outcome, that would actually have bigger ramifications for the Gers than the Hoops.
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