Rangers receive huge boost in bid for automatic Champions League spot thanks to Dortmund

Rangers could be set for a direct route into the Champions League group stage in 2025/26 thanks to Borussia Dortmund's surge to the final. Despite Scotland's coefficient taking a hit and dropping out of UEFA's top 10, Gers might still find a way in.

The Scottish Premiership winners of next season won't automatically qualify for the group stage of Europe's premier competition from the 2025/26 campaign due to Scotland's fall in the UEFA coefficient rankings. The Czech Republic has moved up, pushing Scotland down to 11th place.

However, this could still work in Rangers' favour.

Thanks to the expanded Champions League format coming into effect next season, Rangers' club coefficient ranking could secure them a spot if they are the highest-ranked champion in qualifying provided Scotland maintains its 11th position and Philippe Clement guides his team to the title next term. This all depended on the 2024 Champions League winners already securing their place in the following season's competition through their league standing.

However, Dortmund's semi-final clash with Paris Saint-Germain cast doubt on Rangers' chances of using this backdoor route to the 2025/26 campaign. Dortmund currently sits fifth in the Bundesliga - outside of Germany's Champions League spots - and captain Emre Can lifting the trophy at Wembley would have been a disaster for the Ibrox side.

Dortmund's triumph over the French titans has propelled Germany into the top two of the coefficient rankings, securing a fifth spot in the competition for the Bundesliga. This implies that even if Edin Terzic's team clinches the trophy, it won't affect Rangers' chances of securing the available spot.

Rangers currently enjoy a 10-point lead over their nearest competitor, Dinamo Zagreb, putting them in a favourable position. Scotland, as a nation, holds a 3.075 advantage over Switzerland in 12th place, and it would require a significant shift next season for our country to drop any further.

Consequently, if Rangers emerge as league champions next season, they would be well on track to secure a spot in the group stage.