Rangers handed Royale Union Saint-Gilloise test in Champions League third qualifying round draw

Rangers will face Belgian side Royale Union Saint-Gilloise in the third round of Champions League qualifying next month.

Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side will be aiming for another extended European run this season after reaching the Europa League final in Seville earlier this year.

The Ibrox club are bidding to secure a place among Europe’s elite clubs for the first time since 2010 as they look to join Scottish Premiership champions Celtic in the group stages of the tournament.

Union Saint-Gilloise narrowly finished runners-up behind eventual Jupiler Pro League winners Club Brugge in the play-offs after ending the regular domestic season top of the table after 34 games.

Owned by current Brighton & Hove Albion chairman Tony Bloom, the club were promoted from the second tier of Belgian football in 2020/21.

They currently play their home games at the Stade Joseph Marien, which holds between 8,000 and 9,500, meaning fans hoping to follow Rangers in Brussells could face a battle to secure tickets.

Matches will be played on August 2/3 and the second legs on August 9

Rangers, who were seeded for the draw in Nyon on Monday morning, will travel to Belgium in the first leg before returning to Glasgow the following week.

Van Bronckhorst’s side, who were following the ‘league’ path which included the second-placed teams in several division across Europe, avoided the likes of PSV Eindhoven, Benfica and Fenerbahce.

Instead, they could have faced any one of five unseeded teams, including FC Midtjylland of Denmark, who Steven Gerrard’s side defeated three years ago and AS Monaco.

However, they must navigate two matches against the surprise Belgian package for the right to enter the play-off round before the final group stage standings is decided.