Celtic's stunning 3-1 comeback victory over Heart of Midlothian on the final day of the Scottish Premiership season did more than secure a fifth successive title — it reshuffled the European entry points for both clubs heading into next season's qualifiers.

Both Celtic and Hearts had already guaranteed places in the UEFA Champions League qualifying rounds before Saturday's dramatic finale at Celtic Park. However, the outcome of their head-to-head decider determined which route each club will take into Europe.

Celtic and Hearts' Champions League paths

Eleven extraordinary final minutes at Celtic Park denied Hearts a first Scottish league title in 66 years and, with it, a single-game passage into the Champions League for the first time in the club's history. Instead, Celtic enter the play-off round — the final step before the competition proper — while Hearts must begin their European campaign in the second of four qualifying rounds in July.

Should Celtic fall at the play-off stage, they drop into the UEFA Europa League proper. Hearts face a more layered journey: reaching the third qualifying round and losing would still earn Derek McInnes' side direct entry into the Europa League's league phase. However, an exit in their opening qualifier sends them into the Europa League's third qualifying round — two ties from the league phase — with further defeat dropping them into the Conference League.

Potential opponents

Celtic will be seeded in the Champions path play-off round. Norwegian champions Viking are currently the only confirmed unseeded opponent among five possible sides. Greek champions AEK Athens — who have former Hearts left-back James Penrice in their squad — and the Austrian Bundesliga winners are also in the picture, pending results from the third qualifying round.

Hearts, unseeded in the second qualifying round, face a challenging opener regardless of who they draw. Bodo/Glimt, Fenerbahce, or the runners-up from Greece — where Olympiakos and PAOK, the latter featuring former Celtic left-back Greg Taylor, are contesting the title — are among the likely opponents.

Scotland's other European representatives

Rangers are awaiting confirmation of whether their third-place finish earns them an upgrade from the Conference League second qualifying round to the Europa League. That promotion depends on Danny Rohl's side avoiding a Scottish Cup final upset at the hands of second-tier Dunfermline Athletic, whose victory would prevent Celtic completing a domestic double and send Neil Lennon's club back into European football for the first time since 2007.

Motherwell clinched fourth place by beating Hibernian on Saturday and will join any Rangers downgrade scenario in the Conference League second round. Should Dunfermline lose the cup final, Hibernian — who finished fifth — will take Rangers' Conference League qualifying spot.

What is Europe worth?

The financial incentive is substantial. Celtic and Hearts each stand to pocket at least £17.5 million in prize money by reaching the Champions League proper, with television fees adding further to that sum. Each win in the league phase is worth £1.8 million; each draw, £600,000. Even finishing bottom of the 36 qualifiers earns £238,000, rising incrementally with each higher position.

Hearts could collect £455,000 simply from participating in three Champions League qualifying rounds before the league phase, assuming they progress that far. The Europa League's league phase carries £4.06 million in base prize money — rising to £7.8 million for clubs dropping from the Champions League play-offs — plus television distributions of £257,000 to £9.3 million.

The Conference League's league phase guarantees a minimum of £2.75 million, with each win worth £346,000 and television revenue ranging between £77,600 and £2.8 million.

Even a worst-case scenario for Hearts — losing at every qualifying stage without reaching any league phase — would still yield £650,000 in prize money and a further £458,000 for competing across three different qualifying competitions.