Champions League revenues will rise by £1bn per season in even further incentive for Rangers to get a slice of European’s elite competition in the coming years.
Qualification for the tournament is said to be worth between £30m and £40m to participating clubs in the Group Stage, money that for clubs in Scotland is transformational.
The winners of this season’s Scottish Premiership will likely enter the group stage of the tournament, increasing the pressure on both the Gers and Celtic as the season bottlenecks.
But over the long-term Rangers will be targeting regular participation in the competition as PSG president Nasser al-Khelaifi discusses new broadcasting deals this week.
Nasser al-Khelaifi is the chairman of the European Clubs’ Association and announced the plans to increase broadcasting revenues to five billion euros (£4.26bn) across three seasons, increasing by 40% as the tournament increases to 36 teams.
These marketing deals will kick in between 2024 and 2027.
New Champions League deals a “tectonic shift” for European football
Describing the deal as a “tectonic shift” in footballing finances in Europe, the move is being positioned as a solution in the wake of the collapsed European Super League proposals.
“It represents a tectonic shift in the role that clubs now play – thanks to ECA and in partnership with Uefa – in the decisions that shape European football,” Al-Khelaifi said in a letter seen by BBC Sport.
“It also represents a new dawn of financial stability and opportunity for European football clubs as the way in which our club competitions are commercialised will be transformed.”
Rangers will endeavour for regular Champions League qualifications over the next few seasons and this news highlights the importance of regular participation in the competition.
Let’s hope that next season marks Rangers’ return to Europe’s top table with the club last qualifying for the tournament in 2010, playing Man United, Bursapor and Valencia in the group stages.
Meanwhile, one under-fire manager’s loss is Rangers’ gain as one Ibrox star continues to go from strength-to-strength this season.
