SCOTLAND will have five representatives in European football next year, after a successful spell in the Europa League for both Rangers and Celtic.
Beginning from next season’s competitions, the winners and runners-up in the Scottish Premiership will enter the Champions League qualifiers.
The league winners will enter at the Third Qualifying Round phase, leaving them potentially two two-legged ties from the group stages.
The runners-up will enter a round earlier, in the Second Qualifying Round.
There will only be one Scottish side flying the flag in the Europa League, with that place handed out to the winners of this season’s Scottish Cup.
A newly introduced UEFA Europa Conference League will start next season too, with the third and fourth placed in Scotland’s top flight playing in the first tournament, both starting in the Second Qualifying Round.
UEFA announced the news earlier today, which will not only add extra edge to the Scottish Cup, but also encourage a few more teams in the top division to have ambitions of European football next year.
Scotland have held four European spots for a number of years now, but the Old Firm’s European exploits have rocketed Scotland to number 12 in the coefficient.
Aspirations will turn now to improve the entry stage for each position, with Scotland just shy of Ukraine in 11th place in the coefficient standings.
Feature image credit: UEFA/Kilmarnock FC
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