Celtic top Rangers in official FIFA Euro rankings with Ibrox side BOTTOM thanks to Champions League misery

Celtic rank as the 37th best side in Europe according to FIFA's official qualification table for the Club World Cup - with Rangers joint BOTTOM despite their impressive Europa League form.

It was another European season to forget for the Hoops who crashed out of the Champions League with just one win to show for it. But it was the first group stage victory managed by a Scottish side in UEFA's top club competition since their win over Anderlecht in 2017, and it was enough to rocket them up the standings as far as FIFA are concerned.

The revamped Club World Cup will commence next year and is set to move from an annual competition to four-yearly. The 2025 edition will take place in June in the USA, 12 months before the international World Cup in the USA, Canada and Mexico.

Europe will have 12 teams competing in the new 32-team format, and three of those spots automatically go to the three previous winners: Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City.

The other nine spots are determined by a qualification table which takes into account performance between 2021 and 2024 in the Champions League only; the UEFA coefficient doesn't come into play and neither do the Europa or Conference Leagues. FIFA's latest table confirms Bayern, PSG, Inter, Porto and Benfica have qualified, meaning four places are left to be determined; currently held by Borussia Dortmund, Atletico Madrid, Juventus and RB Salzburg.

Teams get 4 points for qualifying for the Champions League group stage, 2 points for winning a game, 1 point for a draw, and 5 points for making the knockout stages, with a further point for every stage reached thereafter.

That qualification system unfortunately means curtains for any Scottish sides competing at the 2025 tournament.