Celtic FC and the Champions League – A History

Celtic FC and the Champions League – A History
So far this season, the Bhoys are having a successful season in their domestic league. It would be a major shock if they did not win the Scotland Premiership, since they are 13 points clear of their longtime heated rival Rangers, with only five matches remaining. They have already bagged an automatic UEFA Champions League bid for next season.


Celtic is the only Scottish club to have ever won a European Cup, back in 1967, against Inter Milan. The competition was rebranded as the Champions League, in the 1992/93 season. This article will explore how the Celts have performed in the most important club competition in Europe.

Healing Wounds
The 2022/23 Champions League season wasn’t gentle to the Scottish team, which had its worst season ever in the competition, disappointing even the most pessimistic predictions. They failed to make it out of the second qualifying round.


Nevertheless, Celtics lead the Premiership comfortably, 13 points ahead of the second-place Rangers. Both teams are likely to qualify for the 2023/24 UCL season, with the Bhoys probably joining the competition in the group stage. The team is still led by Ange Postecoglou, fondly nicknamed “Angeball.”


Although he's the same coach of the last and worst Champions League season for the Celts, he’s also the one who led the team to a win over Real Madrid. Angeball’s successful season at home is likely to strengthen the team before competing again at a continental level.


Like every season in the Champions League, the next campaign will surely have all the big names such as Manchester City, Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich leading the Champions League predictions as favourites to lift the trophy.

Glories of the Past
The Bhoys aren’t just the only Scottish team to win the European Cup; it was also the first team from the United Kingdom to do so. The title came in 1967 against Inter Milan, in Portugal. It was the team’s first participation in the competition. The Celts were living a glorious period with Jock Stein as head of the team, smashing Nantes and Zurich (6-2 and 5-0, respectively), at the beginning of the competition.


The victory in the European Cup granted Celtic a place in the Intercontinental Cup against the Racing Club, from Argentina. There’s a tough dispute for the title, with both sides winning home matches and then, playing three matches in Montevideo, South America.


The Argentinian side came out as the winner, and it was Celtic’s last participation in this Cup, which was played until 2004. The club reached the finals of the European Cup for the last time in 1970, but it was defeated by the Dutch side Feyenoord. It marked the beginning of the decline of the Scottish side in European football.

No Place Like Home
After several disappointing seasons in continental football, the Celtics began to rise again in the early 2000s. In the 2002-2003 season, the club finished runner-up in the UEFA Cup, losing to the Portuguese side Porto 3-2 in extra time. The competition is now known as the UEFA Europa League and is the second-most popular continental competition, trailing only the Champions League.


It’s been a while since the Celts were seen at the finals of the Champions League. Still, the club can brag of having slain a few giants, especially on its home turf. In 1980, Real Madrid, by then already displaying a quite dangerous squad, was defeated 2-0 in the Scottish Isles. Of course, it was Real Madrid that got the best of Celtic this campaign, defeating the Scottish side 3-0 in group play. But back in 2007, the Celtics also defeated the almighty AC Milan 2-1 on their home pitch and in 2012, it was Barcelona’s turn to feel the pressure in Celtic Park, where they fell to Celtic FC 2-1.