Panathinaikos 1-1 Rangers - what result means as Glasgow side one step closer to Champions League proper

Rangers are through to the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round after a 1-1 draw with Panathinaikos in Greece secured a 3-1 aggregate victory in the tie.

Serbian midfielder Filip Đuričić gave the hosts the lead on the night in the second half, bringing the aggregate score to 2-1 following last week’s 2-0 win at Ibrox in Russell Martin’s competitive debut as head coach. New signing Djeidi Gassama, who also scored in that first leg tie, soon equalised for the visitors on the night and they saw off wave after wave of attack from the hosts to ensure the result and their progression.

There are significant ramifications for Rangers season following the result, mainly that they are now guaranteed European league phase football in one of UEFA’s three competitions whatever happens in their remaining qualifying ties. Here are all the potential outcomes:

What UEFA Champions League second qualifying round win over Panathinaikos means for Rangers in Europe

As previously mentioned, Rangers will be playing European league phase football in one of UEFA three competitions whatever happens in their remaining qualifiers. There next match will be against either Viktoria Plzen or Servette in the UEFA Champions League Third Qualifying Round.

At the time of publication, that ties was in the balance with Plzen 2-1 up away from home on the night for an aggregate score of 2-2. Rangers will, of course, have to overcome the winner of that tie to reach the final Champions League qualifying round - the play-offs.

However, if the lose that tie, they would drop into the UEFA Europa League play-off round. A win in this tie would send them through to the league phase of the second tier UEFA competition.

Should they also fail to win in that tie they will then drop immediately into the league phase of the UEFA Europa Conference League. That is a competition that Rangers have yet to feature in since it was launched in 2021 but they will, of course, not care about that and be looking to ensure they take their place in UEFA’s elite level competition this season.

Who will Rangers face in UEFA Champions League play-offs if they win third qualifying round tie?

Rangers, if they beat the winner of Viktoria Plzen vs Servette, would be unseeded for the play-off round draw. At this moment it is unclear exactly who they could end up facing but some of the teams include:

• Benfica
• Nice
• Club Brugge
• Malmö FF
• Copenhagen

When is the draw for the UEFA Champions League play-off round?

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League play-off round draw takes place on Monday, August 4. The draw will be broadcast on the official UEFA website.

The draw will take place at at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland. Seedings, any groupings and the procedure will be available from 08:30 CET on the day of the draw.

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