Rangers and the Europa League have been a match made in heaven since the club reached European competition again in 2017.
The Glasgow giants’ demotion to the Scottish lower leagues marked a seven-year barren spell of zero continental away trips for a downtrodden fanbase.
But after finishing third in the 2016/17 Scottish Premiership campaign, Rangers embarked on a Europa League rollercoaster of emotions from the lows of Progres Niederkorn to the highs of reaching the final of the UEFA competition itself.
As per Fitbastats, Rangers have played 78 Europa League games overall including qualifiers and play-offs since the Pedro Caixinha era, winning an incredible 38 of those games. 24 have been draws and just 16 games have been lost.
Here is Rangers Europa League record in full through Caixinha, Steven Gerrard, Giovanni van Bronckhorst, Michael Beale and Philippe Clement.
2017/18 – 1st Qualifying Round
It’s a really bad start but from hereon in, things get way better for Rangers in the Europa League. The two legs against Luxembourg minnows Progres Niederkorn were supposed to be a walkover for Rangers.
The Light Blues won the first leg 1-0 thanks to a Kenny Miller strike but the return fixture ended in complete disaster. Progres secured a historic 2-1 aggregate win to dump the 1972 European Cup Winners’ Cup champions out of Europe at the first couple of hurdles.
Manager Pedro Caixinha infamously found himself arguing with Rangers fans in a bush at the Stade Josy Barthel after the defeat and ultimately, his reputation at Ibrox never recovered.
Results
- Rangers 1-0 Progres Niederkorn (1st Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Progres Niederkorn 2-0 Rangers (1st Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
Overall record: W1 L1
2018/19 – Group Stage
What a contrast from the season before. Rangers’ third-placed finish in the 2017/18 Scottish Premiership season provided the club with another shot at the Europa League qualifiers.
Thankfully, after wins over FK Shkupi, NK Osijek and Maribor, the Light Blues’ passage to the play-off round against FC Ufa was secured.
Steven Gerrard would then lead Rangers into the Europa League group stage for the first time since 2010 and finish in third place behind Villarreal and Rapid Vienna.
The campaign got off to a sensational start with a draw against the Spaniards and a brilliant win over the Austrians at Ibrox. But two draws and two defeats followed as Rangers exited the tournament.
Results
- Rangers 2-0 FK Shkupi (1st Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- FK Shkupi 0-0 Rangers (1st Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- NK Osijek 0-1 Rangers (2nd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 0-0 NK Osijek (2nd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 3-1 Maribor (3rd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Maribor 0-0 Rangers (3rd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 1-0 FC Ufa (Play-Off Round, 1st Leg)
- FC Ufa 1-1 Rangers (Play-Off Round, 2nd Leg)
- Villarreal 2-2 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 1)
- Rangers 3-1 Rapid Vienna (Group G, Matchday 2)
- Rangers 0-0 Spartak Moscow (Group G, Matchday 3)
- Spartak Moscow 4-3 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 4)
- Rangers 0-0 Villarreal (Group G, Matchday 5)
- Rapid Vienna 1-0 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 6)
Overall record: W5 D7 L2
2019/20 – Round of 16
Rangers went one better the following season as they reached the last 16 stage against Bayer Leverkusen. Once more, Gerrard’s men started from the bottom and worked their way up to the group stage.
They avenged their horrific 2017 aggregate defeat to Progres Niederkorn with victory over the Luxembourg outfit and secured impressive triumphs over FC Midtjylland and Legia Warsaw.
Rangers entered a challenging group alongside Porto, Feyenoord and Young Boys but nine points from six games – including two games unbeaten against Porto – would be enough to progress to the last 32 round.
Ianis Hagi scored a stunning 82nd-minute winner in the first leg against Braga at Ibrox before an unbelievable 1-0 win was secured in Portugal to send Rangers into dreamland.
However, Bayer Leverkusen proved a step too far for Gers as they racked up a 4-1 aggregate scoreline with the tie disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak.
Results
- St Joseph’s 0-4 Rangers (1st Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 6-0 St Joseph’s (1st Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 2-0 Progres Niederkorn (2nd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Progres Niederkorn 0-0 Rangers (2nd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- FC Mitdtjylland 2-4 Rangers (3rd Qualifying Round, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 3-1 FC Mitdtjylland (3rd Qualifying Round, 2nd Leg)
- Legia Warsaw 0-0 Rangers (Play-Off Round, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 1-0 Legia Warsaw (Play-Off Round, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 1-0 Feyenoord (Group G, Matchday 1)
- Young Boys 2-1 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 2)
- Porto 1-1 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 3)
- Rangers 2-0 Porto (Group G, Matchday 4)
- Feyenoord 2-2 Rangers (Group G, Matchday 5)
- Rangers 1-1 Young Boys (Group G, Matchday 6)
- Rangers 3-2 Braga (Last 32, 1st Leg)
- Braga 0-1 Rangers (Last 32, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 1-3 Bayer Leverkusen (Last 16, 1st Leg)
- Bayer Leverkusen 1-0 Rangers (Last 16, 2nd Leg)
Overall record: W10 D5 L3
2020/21 – Round of 16
Rangers were handed an easier passage to the group stage due to Scotland’s improved UEFA coefficient and the scrapping of two legs for the qualifying and play-off rounds due to COVID-19.
Rangers beat Lincoln Red Imps, Willem II and Galatasaray – two of which were away from home – to reach the group stage. Gerrard’s side recorded a terrific campaign as they went unbeaten against Lech Poznan, Benfica and Standard Liege to progress.
Rangers scored 13 goals before scoring a further nine across two legs of the last 32 round against Royal Antwerp. The Glasgow giants won 9-5 on aggregate but somehow couldn’t overcome Slavia Prague at the last 16 stage.
Results
- Lincoln Red Imps 0-5 Rangers (2nd Qualifying Round)
- Willem II 0-4 Rangers (3rd Qualifying Round)
- Rangers 2-1 Galatasaray (Play-Off Round)
- Standard Liege 0-2 Rangers (Group D, Matchday 1)
- Rangers 1-0 Lech Poznan (Group D, Matchday 2)
- Benfica 3-3 Rangers (Group D, Matchday 3)
- Rangers 2-2 Benfica (Group D, Matchday 4)
- Rangers 3-2 Standard Liege (Group D, Matchday 5)
- Lech Poznan 0-2 Rangers (Group D, Matchday 6)
- Royal Antwerp 3-4 Rangers (Last 32, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 5-2 Royal Antwerp (Last 32, 2nd Leg)
- Slavia Prague 1-1 Rangers (Last 16, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 0-2 Slavia Prague (Last 16, 2nd Leg)
Overall record: W9 D3 L1
2021/22 – Final
Rangers’ most memorable season in Europe since 2007/08 came just a few years ago when Giovanni van Bronckhorst led them to the final in Seville.
The club may have lost five games across the group stage to the semi-finals, but it was the Ibrox factor that carried Rangers all the way to the end of the competition.
Rangers lost their first two group stage games but the two wins and two draws that followed was enough to qualify for the knockout play-off round against Borussia Dortmund.
A stunning 6-4 aggregate win was secured before Red Star Belgrade were beaten 4-2 in the last 16 round. Rangers would then come back from losing positions in the first leg against Braga and RB Leipzig to win them both thanks to incredible performances at Ibrox.
Eintracht Frankfurt were the opponents in the final and Rangers actually took the lead through Joe Aribo, sparking unreal celebrations inside the Estadio La Cartuja.
But Frankfurt pegged them back and would go on to win on penalties in one of the most agonising episodes in Rangers history.
Results
- Rangers 1-0 Alashkert (Play-Off Round, 1st Leg)
- Alashkert 0-0 Rangers (Play-Off Round, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 0-2 Lyon (Group A, Matchday 1)
- Sparta Prague 1-0 Rangers (Group A, Matchday 2)
- Rangers 2-0 Brondby (Group A, Matchday 3)
- Brondby 1-1 Rangers (Group A, Matchday 4)
- Rangers 2-0 Sparta Prague (Group A, Matchday 5)
- Lyon 1-1 Rangers (Group A, Matchday 6)
- Borussia Dortmund 2-4 Rangers (Knockout Round Play-Off, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 2-2 Borussia Dortmund (Knockout Round Play-Off, 2nd Leg)
- Rangers 3-0 Red Star Belgrade (Last 16, 1st Leg)
- Red Star Belgrade 2-1 Rangers (Last 16, 2nd Leg)
- Braga 1-0 Rangers (Quarter-Final, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 3-1 Braga (Quarter-Final, 2nd Leg)
- RB Leipzig 1-0 Rangers (Semi-Final, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 3-1 RB Leipzig (Semi-Final, 1st Leg)
- Eintracht Frankfurt 1-1 Rangers (Final, lost 5-4 on penalties AET)
Overall record: W7 D4 L6
2023/24 – Round of 16
After a horrendous 2022/23 Champions League campaign and a failure to reach the group stage this season, Rangers found themselves back in the competition they love for 2023/24.
They entered straight into the group stage after losing to PSV Eindhoven in the Champions League play-off round and were pitted against Real Betis, Sparta Prague and Aris Limassol.
It was a very winnable group and despite a bump or two along the road and a change of manager, Rangers qualified out of the group after a tremendous 3-2 win in Seville on the final matchday.
Portuguese giants Benfica now await Rangers in a last 16 clash. Neither side have been each other after just two competitive meetings between the teams.
Results
- Rangers 1-0 Real Betis (Group C, Matchday 1)
- Aris Limassol 2-1 Rangers (Group C, Matchday 2)
- Sparta Prague 0-0 Rangers (Group C, Matchday 3)
- Rangers 2-1 Sparta Prague (Group C, Matchday 4)
- Aris Limassol 1-1 Rangers (Group C, Matchday 5)
- Real Betis 2-3 Rangers (Group C, Matchday 6)
- Benfica 2-2 Rangers (Last 16, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 0-1 Benfica (Last 16, 2nd Leg)
Overall record: W3 D3 L2
2024/25 – Quarter-Final
Results
- Malmo 0-2 Rangers (League Phase, Matchday 1)
- Rangers 1-4 Lyon (League Phase, Matchday 2)
- Rangers 4-0 FCSB (League Phase, Matchday 3)
- Olympiacos 1-1 Rangers (League Phase, Matchday 4)
- Nice 1-4 Rangers (League Phase, Matchday 5)
- Rangers 1-1 Tottenham Hotspur (League Phase, Matchday 6)
- Manchester United 2-1 Rangers (League Phase, Matchday 7)
- Rangers 2-1 Union Saint-Gilloise (League Phase, Matchday 8)
- Fenerbahce 1-3 Rangers (Last 16, 1st Leg)
- Rangers 0-2 Fenerbahce (Last 16, 2nd Leg, won 3-2 on penalties AET)
- Rangers vs Athletic Club (Quarter-Final, 1st Leg)
- Athletic Club vs Rangers (Quarter-Final, 2nd Leg)
