The Scottish FA today confirmed that this season’s Scottish Cup winners will enter the Europa League’s final play-off round. However if the Scottish Cup winners reach the Champions League by virtue of a first or second place finish in this season’s Scottish Premiership, then this Europa League Play-off spot will instead be award to the side finishing third in the Premiership.
The losing sides in the Europa League play-off will drop into the group stages of the new Conference League so at least one Scottish club will be guaranteed Europe football until at least December.
The confirmed European spots for Scottish clubs next season are as follows:
Premiership winners – third qualifying round of Champions League
Premiership runners-up – second qualifying round of Champions League
Scottish Cup winners – Europa League play-offs
Premiership third place – second qualifying round of Conference league
Premiership fourth place – second qualifying round of Conference league
There is the possibility of the teams finishing first and second in the Premiership joining the Champions League one round later, but this depends on who wins this season’s tournament and where they finish in their own domestic league.
This season’s Scottish Cup is currently suspended with no new dates set for second and third round ties still to be played. Celtic are awaiting the outcome of the Arbroath v Falkirk second round tie before the winners visit Celtic Park in the third round. That match was scheduled for this weekend but the competition was earlier this month suspended by the Scottish Government as part of the latest lockdown caused by the Covid crisis. The Scottish FA confirmed a 3 week long suspension of all football in Scotland outside the Premiership and Championship on 11 January and this included the Scottish Cup.
Celtic have won the Scottish Cup for the last four seasons, most recently completing a Quadruple Treble by beating Hearts at Hampden on 20 December on the delayed 2020 final. Highlights of the last four Scottish Cup Finals are shown below.
