The SFA have confirmed than the Scottish Premiership will have two places in the Champions League next season after a coefficient boost brought on by Rangers’ return to Euro competition.
The Gers reached the Europa League last 16 last season despite entering the competition in the 4th qualifying round.
This came after Steven Gerrard’s side managed to qualify for the group stages in the Liverpool legend’s first season in the job.
In season 19/20, Rangers managed to earn more coefficient points than Real Madrid, Liverpool and Borussia Dortmund and help earn Scotland a 14th placed finish.
The news means that the top two in Scotland – likely Rangers and Celtic – will have a crack at making the competition proper.
Out of those two places, the team that wins the Scottish Premiership will enter at the second qualifying round whilst the team that finishes second the third.
The news also means that there will be one team entering the Europa League qualification stages – the winners of the Scottish Cup – and two sides entering the newly formed UEFA Conference League.
Rangers fans were naturally buoyed by the news and sent a message to Scottish football after restoring the nation’s fortunes on the European stage:
https://twitter.com/minicoo_master/status/1321496940752887809
https://twitter.com/BorlandDunk/status/1321500817657122819
https://twitter.com/feachies/status/1321507248250773505
Rangers contribution to the coefficient has been sizeable as they go further in European competition in two years than what Celtic have in 16 years.
Attention will now turn to climbing the coefficient table as the Scottish clubs look to climb above Turkey or Ukraine into 11th which is ordinarily enough to guarantee a Champions League group stage spot.