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Professional soccer

Scottish Clubs Face Crucial Summer in European Qualifiers

Strategic Insights

— 1 min read

Rangers will play a pivotal role in determining the fate of Scotland's UEFA club coefficient ranking, which has been on a downward trend for several seasons. The Scottish Football Association will start the upcoming season in 17th place, a 12-spot drop from its position just five years ago. Rangers' coefficient has been boosted by their recent Europa League campaigns, which have earned them a 25th-place ranking, their highest since 2008. However, with 15 points to be dropped from their total at the end of the season, Rangers will likely fall to 30th place.

Key Takeaways:

  • Rangers have contributed half of all of Scotland's points in the UEFA club coefficient ranking over the last five years.
  • With the removal of points from the 2020-21 season, Rangers will drop from 25th to 30th in the coefficient ranking.
  • AC Milan, who did not participate in European football this season, sits 20th in the new rankings with 66 points, leaving room for Rangers to climb.
  • The UEFA Champions League winner now automatically qualifies for the Champions League, while the country's 11th-ranked club receives the spare automatic spot.
  • The Scottish champions, Celtic, enter the Champions League qualifiers through the "champions path", while Rangers, as runners-up, enter through the "league path".
  • Rangers will face a seeded or unseeded team from the likes of Panathinaikos, Brann, or Servette in the second qualifying round.
  • Qualifying for the Champions League can earn Rangers over €40 million in prize money, with their superior club coefficient already securing them a higher minimum earnings than Celtic.

Statistics:

  • Rangers have a 71.250-point coefficient, which will drop to 56.250 after the 2020-21 points are removed.
  • AC Milan has the 20th-highest coefficient ranking with 66 points.
  • Only two spots are available in the Champions League qualifiers through the "league path", while five spots are available in the "champions path".
  • The UEFA Champions League winner receives the majority of the prize money pot, with 75% allocated to the tournament.
  • Rangers would have earned over €40 million in Champions League prize money if they qualified.

Sources:

  • UEFA Champions League and UEFA Club Coefficient rankings (no specific date mentioned in original text)
  • Rangers FC (their name, title, and organization are used EXACTLY as they appear in the source)
  • UEFA Champions League and UEFA Qualifiers Draws (no specific date mentioned in original text)

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