Celtic and Rangers' Champions League entry implications as UEFA decides on Russian bans

Scotland’s champions will win a ticket to the Champions League group stage as well as this season’s cinch Premiership trophy, UEFA has confirmed.

Europe’s governing body has barred Russian clubs from participation in next season’s competitions, continuing their current continent-wide suspension over the invasion of Ukraine.

It means the SPFL champions – likely to be Celtic with Ange Postecoglou’s team leading by six points with three games to play – will gain straight access, regardless of the outcome in this season’s competition.

Villarreal's progress in the top tournament carried a risk for Scotland’s automatic group stage hopes, which would have been revoked and passed to the Spanish side in the event they won the trophy and had not qualified to defend it via La Liga.

However the additional element of jeopardy hanging over the unlikely win, with Unai Emery’s side 2-0 down to Liverpool in the semi-final, and has been definitively wiped by UEFA’s decision.

Probable Premiership runners-up Rangers’ qualification burden is also reduced by a third – if it is needed at all.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side can earn their own direct pass by winning this season’s Europa League, but if not, their path to the group stage has lessened by Russia’s removal moving the SPFL up the co-efficent table. The league runners-up will enter the third qualification stage rather than the second, placing them two rounds and 360minutes from the promised land.

Hearts’ path to the group stages of either the Europa League or Conference remains unchanged by the re-shuffle with Robbie Neilson’s team still guaranteed European football until December through the Europa League play-off or an elimination parachute straight into the Conference groups.

Scot