Starting next season, the Scottish Premiership champions will no longer have an automatic qualification spot for the Champions League group stages. This decision comes as a result of the Czech Republic overtaking Scotland in the UEFA coefficient rankings after Viktoria Plzen’s goalless draw against Fiorentina in the Europa Conference League quarter-finals.
This development means that the 2024-25 Scottish title winners will have to go through a play-off round against a champion from a lower-ranked league in order to secure a place in the 2025-26 Champions League group stages. However, there is still hope for this season’s champions, with either Celtic or Rangers set to compete in the revamped competition next season.
Despite this setback, there is a possibility for Rangers to secure a spot in the 2025-26 Champions League group stages based on their individual club coefficient, if they win the title next season. The rankings are determined by a five-year average, where teams earn points for wins and draws, and the country’s coefficient is influenced by the number of teams participating in European competitions at the beginning of the season.
With all Scottish teams out of European competitions this season, the onus is on the five clubs qualifying for Europe next season to perform well and improve Scotland’s ranking. As the 2019-20 campaign drops off the calculations, Scotland faces the risk of slipping further down the rankings in the coming seasons.
