Benfica and Marseille headline a difficult Celtic Europa League draw, while Heart Of Midlothian have been paired with Trabzonspor and Monaco in the Conference League. The new format means both clubs have been handed league-phase campaigns where a slow start can quickly become a problem.
Celtic's European tests
Celtic's route looks awkward from the start because Benfica and Marseille both bring recent European pedigree. Benfica finished 24th in the 2025 UEFA Champions League and Marseille ended 25th, so this is not a draw that offers much breathing room.
Celtic themselves know how tight these campaigns can be. They finished 21st in the 2025 UEFA Europa League league phase and collected 11 points from 8 matches, which is a decent reminder that one or two off nights can leave a side stuck in the middle of the pack.
Benfica's latest result was a 7-0 away win at Casa Pia, while Marseille's last five brought 2 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses. That mix is enough to make the tie awkward for Celtic, even before the schedule is set out in full.
Hearts and the new format
Hearts' draw has its own sharp edges. They will take on Mohamed Salah's Trabzonspor and Monaco, and the conference route gives them fewer chances to recover if the opening games go badly.
The Europa League league phase has 36 teams, each playing 8 different opponents, four at home and four away. Only the top 8 go straight through to the round of 16, while 9th to 24th enter the play-offs and 25th and below are out. In the Conference League, teams play 6 league-phase games, so there is even less room to claw back dropped points.
That is why the draw matters more than it would have under the old group stage. Celtic and Hearts are into formats that reward immediate results, and both have been given opponents with enough European weight to make any hesitation expensive.
The first legs of these campaigns are now about more than reputation. They are about points, because the league-phase table is the only way forward.
Written by Sam Whitfield with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 1 outlet. How we work →
