Celtic and Rangers face Champions League doom with automatic group stage spot under threat

Scotland's top clubs are on Champions League red alert after it emerged upcoming changes will see the 11th ranked UEFA nation lose its automatic group stage spot.

Celtic and Rangers are both currently competing at the top table of European football for the first time since 2007 with Scottish sides having benefited from the nation’s rise to eighth in the co-efficient table. But an expansion to UEFA’s flagship tournament to come into effect from 2024-25 will see the number of countries whose champions are guaranteed automatic entry to the group stage cut to 10.

Instead the club with the highest co-efficient in the champions path will take the place of the 11th ranked nation. And with Scotland’s co-efficient taking a battering this season on the back of a tough Champions League schedule for both sides of the Old Firm then the alarm bells are ringing with Belgium, Austria and Serbia looking to close the gap.

Currently the gap to 11th-placed Serbia is just under five points giving Scottish clubs breathing space. But Celtic have picked up only one point from four group stage games while Rangers have lost all four of their matches. And in the Europa Conference League, Hearts have won just once in four outings.

Because this season’s results directly affect the 2024-25 competition, the more points accumulated will help see off any threat. In two years’ time, the group stage will bulked up from 32 teams to 36. The other three new positions will go to the fifth ranked country, currently France, and the two teams with the best collective performance in the previous season.

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