Celtic's Premiership trip to St Johnstone has been postponed because of the club's involvement in the Champions League play-offs, with the Celtic game now part of a wider reshuffle affecting five Scottish teams in Europe.
The change comes as two-legged qualifying ties in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League are staged either side of the affected weekend. That meant Saturday, 22 August was reshaped across the Premiership, with all five Scottish clubs in European competition seeing their league fixtures moved.
A wider fixture reset
This is not just about Celtic and St Johnstone. It is part of a broader round of postponements involving Rangers, Hearts, Motherwell and Hibernian as well, with the Scottish schedule altered to make room for European commitments.
The key point for supporters is that the postponed matches will not be lost completely. The rearranged games are due to be played in midweek on 8/9 September or 15/16 September, depending on the fixture.
Why Celtic's postponement fits the pattern
European qualification has already had a direct impact on the domestic calendar. In April 2025, a team playing in Europe was able to unilaterally delay a game, and this latest change shows how quickly the calendar can be affected when Scottish clubs are involved in qualifying ties.
For Celtic, the postponement will also bring back memories of last season, when they were beaten by Kairat Almaty in the Champions League play-offs. This time, the club's progress in Europe again takes priority over a Premiership fixture.
So the Celtic game at St Johnstone will wait for another date, while the league table and the fixture list both take a temporary pause. The next step is simple: wait for the midweek slots in September and see how the rearranged programme is finally fitted in.
