Bodo Glimt and Celtic near Champions League qualification

On August 19, 2026, the Champions League playoff round featured significant victories for Bodo Glimt and Celtic, both of which are now effectively one step away from the tournament's league phase. The Norwegian side Bodo Glimt defeated Nijmegen 3-1 in the Netherlands, with goals from Sondre Fet in the 25th minute, Andreas Halmerson in the 44th, and Haitam Aleesami in the 50th; Klemen Bischof scored the lone goal for the hosts in the 85th minute.

Meanwhile, Celtic secured a 3-0 victory against LASK in Glasgow. The match saw Benjamin Nygren open the scoring, followed by two goals from Camilo Duran, placing the Scottish club in a commanding position for the second leg. Other results from the recent fixtures include Hapoel Be'er Sheva winning 2-1 against Sabah, while the match between Slovan Bratislava and Celje ended in a 1-1 draw, leaving their qualification hopes balanced for the return leg.

The teams are scheduled to play their decisive return matches next week. While OmegaLive reports that Celtic's 3-0 victory did not fully reflect the game's competitive nature, citing the home side as being more opportunistic, the clear aggregate advantages place both Bodo Glimt and Celtic in a strong position to advance to the next stage of the European competition.