Rangers could play in Champions League next season without qualifying due to new UEFA rule

A sixth British club could qualify automatically for the 2026/27 Champions League main draw due to a little-known UEFA rule.

Four Premier League clubs will qualify for the league phase through their finishing positions this season, with a fifth all but mathematically set to join them due to England's superior UEFA co-efficient.

As things stand, Liverpool will join Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa in the league phase.

Last season, Tottenham made it six English clubs in the 2025/26 Champions League by winning the Europa League, with Nottingham Forest - or Aston Villa, if they are not already in the Premier League top five - needing to win the same competition to ensure that number remains the same for next season.

In other parts of the UK, nightmare qualification campaigns for both Celtic and Rangers meant they dropped into the Europa League for this season.

Rangers currently occupy second place in the Scottish Premiership table and are one point behind Hearts, who have topped the table at the end of each matchweek since September.

Since dispensing of Russell Martin in October and replacing him with Danny Rohl, the Gers have collected nine more points than any other club in the Scottish Premiership.

Rangers currently sit second in the Scottish Premiership under Danny Rohl (Image: Getty)

With seven games remaining, and with Celtic two points further back in third, it promises to be a thrilling end to the Scottish season as the divisional split comes into play.

But a specific part of UEFA's current Champions League rulebook means that, while Hearts and Celtic can only reach for the Champions League qualifiers even if they win the league, Rangers can win the league and actually reach the main phase automatically.

The rule, which has only been in place in 2024, is known as 'title-holder rebalancing', and awards an extra main draw place to the club with the highest UEFA co-efficient.

Unlike the nation co-efficient rule, this applies only to teams that would otherwise enter qualification, and is triggered if the winner of the Champions League has already earned their place in next season's competition via league position.

For instance, the automatic spot that would have been awarded to PSG, as holders, last season was given to another club as the French giants' finishing position in Ligue 1 superseded it.

BBC Scotland note that Olympiacos, who were given PSG's spot, are in danger of missing out on it this time around as they are five points behind at the top of the Greek Super League table.

And Rangers, who are three places further back in the co-efficient rankings in 37th, would be next in line to receive the place if Olympiacos do not win their league.

That would, of course, rely on Danny Rohl's side winning the Scottish Premiership.

If all that has slightly confused you, UEFA's official website explains the re-balancing process as follows: "To fill an open spot in the access list because the titleholder already qualified for the competition, including the knock-on effects to lower qualifying rounds of the same competition. Either because the titleholder qualified for that competition by the domestic league, or the Conference League titleholder qualified for the Champions League (and chooses to take that route)."

UEFA's club co-efficient ranking spans over a five-year time period, meaning Rangers' run to the Europa League final in 2021/22 earned them 19.000 out of their 59.250 total points.

They also collected 19.250 points for reaching the Champions League third qualifying round and the Europa League quarter-finals last season.

Celtic's comparative lack of success in Europe over recent years has ultimately cost them as they sit 58th, while Hearts are well out of the picture in 154th place.