Key Rangers Champions League dates as Michael Beale’s side learn potential qualifying opponents

Rangers are aiming to qualify for the Champions League group stages for a second successive season this year after securing entry into the third qualifying round of the tournament.

The Ibrox side, who will finish as runners-up in the Scottish Premiership behind back-to-back champions and arch rivals Celtic, will enter at the same stage via the league path section as they did at the start of this season.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst steered the Light Blues to their first group stage campaign in 12 years, overcoming Belgian outfit Union Saint-Gilloise then Eredivisie side PSV Eindhoven in the play-off round over two ties. A difficult draw paired the Gers against Liverpool, Napoli and Ajax as they finished as the worst-ever group stage side.

Now Michael Beale will be hoping for further progress in Europe. A £30million pay day lies in wait if the Englishman can repeat the heroics of last summer, which would provide a significant boost to the club’s finances and could impact Beale’s transfer budget.

In order to achieve that goal, they will need to negotiate at least FOUR qualifying matches at the start of the 2022/23 season. With that in mind, possible opponents are becoming evident as leagues across Europe reach a conclusion.

Teams such as Ajax, PSV Eindhoven, Braga, AEK Athens and either Dinamo Zagreb or BSC Young Boys are likely to be seeded for the third qualifying round along with Rangers and will therefore be avoided.

If Rangers were to advance, they will most likely be seeded due to their impressive coefficient. There remains a potential scenario whereby the club could move into Pot 3 rather than Pot 4 if they make it to the group stages. Champions Celtic are expected be in Pot 4 despite qualifying automatically after winning the league.

Here are the key dates that Rangers fans need to put in their diary:

Third Round Qualifying Draw

Rangers will enter the competition at the third qualifying round stage and will be seeded. The draw will take place on Monday, July 24 at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

As things stand, potential unseeded opponents could be Marseille (France), Sturm Graz (Austria), Čukarički or FK TSC Bačka Topola (Serbia), Dnipro-1 (Ukraine), Servette (Switzerland), Panathinaikos (Greece) or Union Saint-Gilloise (Belgium) - who the Light Blues defeated over two legs at the same point earlier this season.

The ties will be played on the midweek of August 8/9, with the return leg on August 15.

Play-Off Draw

If Rangers progress, they will be within 180 minutes from reaching the Champions League group stages. The draw for the play-off fixtures will be held on Monday, August 7.

The club will already know their potential opponents before competing in their third-round qualifier. The likes of Dutch giants PSV Eindhoven and Portuguese outfit Sporting Braga are expected to feature at this stage, who will be familiar foes.

The ties will take place on August 22/23, with the return legs a week later on August 29/30.

Group Stage

Should Rangers reach the group stage like they did last year, the draw will take place on Thursday, August 31. The first matchday was scheduled for the midweek of September 19/20.

If Rangers were to drop into the Europa League group stages, the draw for this competition’s will be held on Friday, September 1. The first matchday is on September 21, with the final held at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin next year.