Since Steven Gerrard’s arrival at Rangers, the club has achieved something over Celtic: consistent European football in the knockout stages. While it might be on Thursday nights, Philippe Clement has kept this trend alive, with Rangers’ domestic form securing a top-eight position in the Europa League standings. Now, it’s up to the Rangers manager to produce something extraordinary if Scottish football is to continue enjoying the European success it has experienced in recent seasons.
Scottish football’s coefficient hopes now rest on Rangers. Celtic’s dramatic exit to Bayern Munich, though admirable, has had consequences. Currently, Scotland sits 14th in Europe’s coefficient rankings. To secure an automatic spot in the Champions League, Scotland must finish 12th. However, neighboring countries still have a strong chance of accumulating more points. Greece (11th) has three teams remaining, Norway (12th) two, Austria (13th) one, and Denmark (15th) two.
For Scotland to retain 12th place, all of these countries need to exit European competitions this week, and Rangers would need to progress deep into the Europa League once more.
With the Scottish Premiership title almost certainly staying in Celtic’s hands, Rangers are already looking ahead to next season’s results. In 2025/26, Rangers will need to overcome two qualifying rounds and a playoff to reach the Champions League group stages. A slip-up in qualifying round three would result in no European football and a £20m shortfall. However, if the Europa League winner is already qualified for the Champions League through their domestic league, Rangers could benefit from that scenario.
If Rangers were to win the Premiership, automatic Champions League qualification would be within reach thanks to their high coefficient ranking, unlike Celtic, who will need to qualify through the playoffs next season. This ranking also benefits Rangers when it comes to seeding, and a move up to QR3 is possible if teams like Eintracht Frankfurt win the Europa League.
Celtic’s £40m haul came from just three victories against teams ranked 32nd, 35th, and 36th in the Champions League. For Rangers, just six or four games stand between them and a similar reward—unless something remarkable happens in Bilbao on May 21.
