RANGERS square off against Ludogorets in their penultimate UEFA Europa League League Phase match at Ibrox this evening.
The UEFA coefficient has been a hot topic this week, so with help from Gavin at ScottishFootball.info we thought we’d look at the permutations in play.
Victory this evening for Danny Röhl’s side would not only secure UEFA prize money, as would three points on the final matchday in Portugal against Porto, but also adds 2 coefficient points to Rangers’ club coefficient and 0.4 points towards Scotland’s coefficient total.
That is crucial considering the strength of Rangers’ current coefficient means they are the only Scottish side who, should they win the Scottish Premiership this campaign, can gain direct entry to the UEFA Champions League League Phase next season.
Such a scenario would also require the winner of the UEFA Champions League this season to qualify automatically through their domestic league, with Rangers seeking to position themselves as the domestic champions with the highest club coefficient from outside of the top 10 leagues on the continent.
As the UEFA club coefficient operates in five-year cycles, Rangers still boast the points accumulated from their run to the UEFA Europa League final in 2022, as well as the 19.25 gained from their quarter-final appearance last season.
The 2022/23 campaign in the UEFA Champions League earned the club 4 coefficient points; the UEFA Europa League Round of 16 appearance in 2023/24 gained 14 coefficient points; while the current league phase campaign has produced 1 coefficient point.
It has put the club in a strong position relative to potential champions from domestic leagues outside of the top 10 in Europe, and victories in their remaining two league phase fixtures would go a long way in solidifying automatic UEFA Champions League League Phase qualification should they finish the campaign as Scottish Premiership winners this season.
Olympiacos, for instance, boast a similarly strong UEFA club coefficient, with their victory over Bayer Leverkusen in the UEFA Champions League this matchday taking their five-year total to 58.5.
Rangers will end their league phase campaign on a minimum 59.25, but a victory for the Greek outfit over Ajax on the final matchday of the UEFA Champions League would push their total to 60.5, which makes Rangers' results against Ludogorets and Porto crucial to their final coefficient.
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