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.

Get all the latest Celtic news sent straight to your Inbox every day by signing up to our newsletter.

We cover every morsel of information regarding your favourite club in the form of articles, videos and podcasts.

The newsletter will arrive every day at 12pm, giving you a round up of the best stories we've covered that in the last 24 hours.

To sign up, simply enter your email address into the link here.

And if you aren't already, make sure you join the conversation over on our Celtic Facebook group and Record Sport Instagram.

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.

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

But who could lie in wait