The key Celtic Champions League dates revealed including when group stage fate will be decided

It's a moment Celtic fans have been made to wait for but that'll surely make its arrival all the sweeter..

The Parkhead club will return to the Champions League group stage next season for the first time since 2017/18.

There'll be no slog through the dreaded qualifiers this time around thanks to Scotland's improved UEFA coefficient.

And it means supporters can look ahead and daydream of some huge nights coming back to Celtic Park.

This season's competition takes on a unique format owed to the Qatar World Cup taking place in November.

UEFA have truncated the six group stage fixtures in order to avoid clashing with the international tournament but it's a decision which makes an already packed calendar even more gruelling.

But, of course, the excitement starts long before a ball is kicked and usually reaches fever pitch when the long awaited group stage draw is made.

Below are the key dates for Celtic fans to note over the coming months.

Key Champions League dates

Group stage draw - August 25, 2022

Match day 1 - September 6/7, 2022

Match day 2 - September 13/14, 2022

Match day 3 - October 4/5, 2022

Match day 4 - October 11/12, 2022

Match day 5 - October 24/25, 2022

Match day 6 - November 1/2, 2022

Potential opponents

But who could lie in wait on those six huge nights? The seeding system puts Celtic, unfortunately, at the bottom of the pile in Pot 4 which means they could potentially draw some very heavy hitters.

There are a multitude of options - including the possibility Celtic could be drawn alongside both last season's winners and runners-up Real Madrid and Chelsea.

Real Madrid lifted the Champions League trophy last month (Getty Images)

Below are the Pots as they stand, with six places still to be decided via this summer's qualifiers which could bring in the likes of Benfica, Red Star Belgrade and Rangers, although the latter two Celtic could not draw anyway.

Pot 1

Real Madrid, Eintracht Frankfurt, Manchester City, AC Milan, Bayern Munich, PSG, Porto, Ajax.

Pot 2

Liverpool, Chelsea, Barcelona, Juventus, Atletico Madrid, Sevilla, RB Leipzig, Tottenham Hotspur

Pot 3

Borussia Dortmund, RB Salzburg, Shakhtar Donetsk, Inter, Napoli, Sporting, Bayer Leverkusen, TBC.

Pot 4

Marseille, Club Brugge, Celtic, TBC, TBC, TBC, TBC, TBC.