Rangers Hit With Champions League Setback After Bilbao Collapse | OneFootball

Rangers have been dealt a huge blow in their Champions League qualification hopes after Athletic Bilbao crashed out of the Europa League at the hands of Manchester United.

Had Bilbao gone all the way and won the Europa League while also securing a top-four finish in La Liga, Rangers would have skipped straight to the third qualifying round of the Champions League. Instead, they now face the harder task of starting in the second qualifying round, meaning an extra tie to navigate before they even think about the group stages.

This latest development puts even more pressure on the incoming American consortium, led by Andrew Cavenagh and the 49ers group, who are still pushing to finalise their Ibrox takeover. With the deal not expected to complete until mid-June, Rangers will be left with just a few short weeks to prepare for those vital qualifiers which kick off in late July.

The timing couldn’t be worse, given Rangers already missed out on a £3.5 million prize after failing to reach the Europa League semi-finals. Bilbao’s win over Rangers not only ended their European journey this season but also cost them that significant UEFA payout. Despite this, Rangers still sit above Celtic in the current UEFA coefficient standings, but the gap is closing fast.

The earlier start to Champions League qualifying now means the club must accelerate everything—from the managerial appointment, to squad building, and finalising the takeover. With UEFA’s official format now confirmed, Rangers face a brutal run just to make it to the promised land of the group stages.

Rangers fans had hoped that Bilbao’s success would make the path slightly easier, but now they are back in familiar territory, with no margin for error. The board, the new owners, and whoever takes the managerial hotseat will have to get every decision right in the weeks ahead.

Because failure to do so could cost the club tens of millions—and leave Rangers chasing shadows while rivals strengthen.