Champions League qualifiers: How do Rangers normally fare?
Rangers begin their Champions League qualifying campaign against Panathinaikos on Tuesday (21 July).
This season, Rangers start in the second qualifying round, meaning they will need to navigate three two-legged ties to qualify for the group stage.
If they fail at one hurdle, they could still qualify for the Europa League group stage, while the Conference League is a possibility if they lose two qualifying ties.
Below, Ibrox News reviews how the Glasgow club have performed in the qualifying stages in recent years.
2021-22 – lost to Malmo, dropped to Europa League
Rangers faced Malmo in the third qualifying round at the start of the 2021-22 season.
They lost the first leg 2-1 in Sweden, but scored the first goal at Ibrox to level the tie and looked favourites to qualify after Malmo had a player sent off.
However, the Swedish side stunned Rangers with two second-half goals to qualify.
Steven Gerrard blamed “fear and panic” for his side’s inability to overcome 10 men at home.
They dropped into the Europa League and reached the final of this competition, losing on penalties to Eintracht Frankfurt.
2022-23 – Qualified for Champions League group stages
Rangers navigated the third and fourth qualifying rounds to qualify for the Champions League group stages.
They beat Union Saint-Gilloise 3-2 on aggregate, followed by a 3-2 aggregate victory against PSV Eindhoven. Both ties required memorable second-leg victories.
Sadly, Rangers were the whipping boys of their Champions League group, losing both games against Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax to finish on zero points.
2023-24 – Lost to PSV Eindhoven, dropped to Europa League
Rangers beat Servette in the third-qualifying round and were drawn against PSV Eindhoven in the play-off round once again.
The Dutch club got their revenge, beating Rangers 5-1 in Holland after a 2-2 draw in the first leg at Ibrox.
Rangers dropped into the Europa League, where they were eliminated in the last 16 against Benfica.
2024-25 – lost to Dynamo Kyiv, dropped to Europa League
Rangers were drawn against Dynamo Kyiv in the third qualifying round of the Champions League last season.
They did the hard work, drawing 1-1 in Kiev, only to lose the home leg 2-0 and ultimately drop to the Europa League. They were eliminated in the quarter-finals by Athletic Bilbao.
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