With Rangers hopes of winning the Scottish Premiership firmly reignited after their 3-1 Old Firm win at Celtic Park, this is a table from Football Meets Data that is worth revisiting.
🏆 With 🏴 Rangers' hopes of winning the league reignited, this table is worth revisiting.
— Football Meets Data (@fmeetsdata) January 4, 2026
🏴 Rangers still have the highest club coefficient of all teams that can enter the champions path of 🔵 UCL qualifiers.
That means they'd be first in line to enter 🔵 UCL directly if… pic.twitter.com/wvw4ZxHA9B
As things stand, Rangers sit top of the coefficient pile among all clubs eligible to enter the Champions Path of the UEFA Champions League qualifiers for 2026. That detail matters far more than it might first appear.
Rangers currently hold a club coefficient of 59.250, comfortably ahead of their nearest rivals Olympiacos FC on 56.500.
In a crowded and highly competitive field that includes Copenhagen, Shakhtar Donetsk, Salzburg and Celtic, Rangers European consistency over multiple seasons is giving them a significant strategic edge.
If the Champions League winners also qualify for the competition via their domestic league - a scenario that happens regularly - UEFA’s title-holder rebalancing mechanism comes into play.
When that happens, the highest-ranked club coefficient in the Champions Path is first in line for direct entry to the UEFA Champions League group stage.
At present, that club is Rangers.
In simple terms: if Rangers win the Scottish title, and rebalancing is triggered, they will bypass qualifiers entirely and move straight into the UEFA Champions League proper.
That opportunity only exists if Rangers finish as champions.
Their current league position keeps that door open - but it is non-negotiable.
Second place would consign them to the play-off round regardless of coefficient strength.
Olympiacos are the primary threat to catch them.
The Greek side would need a win and a draw against Bayer Leverkusen and AFC Ajax respectively to overtake Rangers on coefficient.
That is far from guaranteed.
It is also worth noting that Rangers still have 2.000 coefficient points from their UEFA Europa League entry bonus to “cover” before they can actively add to their total this season.
Even so, the damage elsewhere has already been done - and Rangers remain out in front.
Rangers European campaign underlines how tight these margins are.
They have taken just one point from six UEFA Europa League group games, a reminder that coefficient advantages are built over years, not weeks.
Despite that difficult run, past performances continue to work in their favour.
Clubs like Rangers domestic rivals Celtic, Salzburg and Crvena Zvezda (Red Star Belgrade) simply do not have the same margin for error.
This table is not about hypotheticals or fan optimism. It is about structural advantage, earned through sustained European participation.
Rangers are uniquely placed among Champions Path contenders - and that position could transform their European outlook overnight.
Win the league, and Rangers give themselves a realistic shot at direct UEFA Champions League entry without navigating the summer minefield of qualifiers which seen them fall flat this season against Club Brugge.