Rangers are on the brink of hitting their highest UEFA coefficient ranking in almost three decades — and all that stands in their way is a result in Bilbao.
The Ibrox side are guaranteed to finish the season no lower than 25th in UEFA’s rankings, already their best placing since the club's run to the UEFA Cup Final in 2008. But if they can avoid defeat against Athletic Club in Thursday night’s Europa League quarter-final second leg, that position will climb even further.
A draw or better at San Mamés would lift Rangers to 24th — a height they haven’t scaled since way back in 1995.
That underlines the scale of the resurgence in continental competition under Philippe Clement and latterly interim manager Barry Ferguson, with this European campaign already guaranteeing Rangers’ most significant rise on the continental stage in years.
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The tie is finely balanced after last week's 0-0 stalemate at Ibrox, setting up a tense decider in the Basque Country. Progress to the semi-finals would not only boost Rangers' European profile but further strengthen their ranking for next season, offering more favourable seedings in UEFA competitions.
Scotland's Coefficient state that a draw after extra-time would be enough to lift Rangers above Club Brugge into 24th, as the Belgian side currently sit just half a point ahead in the rankings.
In UEFA’s system, coefficient points are locked in based on the score after 120 minutes, so if Rangers are still level at that stage they’ll bank an extra point regardless of what happens in a penalty shootout.
Shootouts only settle which team advances — they don’t influence the points each club receives for the result. On the flip side, if Rangers are level at 90 minutes but go on to lose in extra-time, no points will be added to their tally.
Should Rangers go on to secure progression — either inside 120 minutes or via penalties — there’s another incentive on offer: an extra point for the club’s coefficient and 0.2 bonus points added to Scotland’s overall total for reaching the semi-finals.
If the night ends in defeat at any stage, Rangers will close out the campaign ranked 25th, just behind Club Brugge. But even a draw tonight, and the jump to 24th, would come with a significant bonus — ensuring Rangers will be seeded for all three potential Champions League qualifying rounds in the summer.
Rangers’ UEFA coefficient trajectory, charted over the past 40 years, highlights just how significant this moment could be. Even during their run to the 2022 Europa League final against Eintracht Frankfurt, the Scottish Premiership giants were only 33rd in the rankings.
A result on Thursday night would mark their best European standing in nearly 30 years.
