{
  "id": 3491086,
  "title": "Celtic count the cost of Champions League flop",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/celtic-count-the-cost-of-champions-league-flop",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-08-26T10:44:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Yahoo Sports",
    "slug": "yahoo-sports",
    "url": "https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/celtic-count-cost-champions-league-104428639.html"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Celtic's manager Martin O'Neill has revealed that missing out on the Champions League will be a significant financial burden for the Scottish champions. Having already been eliminated in the play-offs by Kazakh side Kairat Almaty, Celtic suffered a 5-1 defeat to LASK in the group stage, squandering a four-goal aggregate lead. This failure to reach the league phase is estimated to cost the club around £40 million ($55 million), even with the consolation of competing in the Europa League.\n\nO'Neill, who guided Celtic to the title in his previous stint with the club, emphasized that the loss of Champions League football will have serious consequences in terms of financial impact and prestige. He acknowledged that the squad needs strengthening due to the performance, which has highlighted the team's weaknesses.\n\nHowever, captain Callum McGregor took a more confrontational stance, stating that the team \"got what they deserved\" and were \"passive all night.\" He criticized the team's behavior, saying they \"looked scared to go and win the game\" and acknowledged that they have no excuses for their performance. McGregor also emphasized that the character of the players will be tested as they face a tough challenge in their next match against Falkirk, who currently sit at the top of the Premiership table.",
  "summary": "Scottish champions Celtic face a second successive season without Champions League football, a blow which will not only have serious financial consequences, manager Martin O'Neill admitted, but could also deter players from signing for them.\"I think I said last week that if you could qualify for the Champions League there would be players wanting to come on that basis.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 4,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "DutchNews",
        "title": "NEC out of Champions League after early red card kills hopes",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/nec-out-of-champions-league-after-early-red-card-kills-hopes",
        "published": "2026-08-26T07:34:50.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Al Jazeera",
        "title": "Bodo return to Champions League, Azerbaijan’s Sabah deny Israeli Beer-Sheva",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/bodo-return-to-champions-league-azerbaijans-sabah-deny-israeli-beer",
        "published": "2026-08-26T09:00:35.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "Yahoo Sports",
        "title": "When is the Champions League draw? 2026-27 UCL date and time",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/08/26/when-is-the-champions-league-draw-2026-27-ucl-date-and-time",
        "published": "2026-08-26T10:08:19.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}