UEFA has made changes to the Europa League qualifying rounds, which could make it harder for Scottish clubs to progress to the main league phase of the competition. Starting next season, the final qualifying round will be split into two separate paths: one for teams that are national champions and another for non-champions. This system mirrors the one used in both the Champions League and the newly introduced Conference League. Previously, the Europa League’s third qualifying round had two paths but eventually merged into a single draw. From next season, these two paths will remain separate throughout the qualifying stages. This change means that Scottish clubs will no longer face teams that previously dropped down from the Champions League qualifying route, such as Iberia 1999, Kairat Almaty, or Ararat. Instead, they will be grouped with teams from the non-champions path, which is generally considered stronger. This path includes teams that qualified through league positions in countries like Belgium, Turkey, the Czech Republic, and Greece. It also includes teams that were eliminated from the Champions League qualifiers. This season, teams such as Olympiakos, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz, and Union St-Gilloise were in this path. Scottish clubs like Hearts and Rangers faced tough challenges in this stage, with Hearts losing to Benfica and Rangers, despite being seeded, being knocked out by Jagiellonia Bialystok. The change comes at a time when Scottish clubs’ chances of receiving favorable draws may be further reduced. The five-year coefficient rankings for Celtic and Rangers, which determine their seeding in European competitions, have dropped due to poor performances by Scottish teams in recent years. This could mean that they are no longer seeded in the Europa League, potentially facing stronger teams from major leagues in the early rounds. However, there is a potential benefit for Scottish clubs. If the Scottish league champions drop out of the Champions League and into the Europa League, they will face another team that also dropped down from the Champions League. This season, Celtic qualified for the Champions League in the play-off round, which guaranteed them a direct spot in the Europa League league phase. Next season, due to the drop in Scotland’s coefficient ranking, the league champions will have to enter the Europa League in the second qualifying round and will need to win three matches to reach the league phase. Additionally, the Scottish Cup winners, or the Premiership runners-up if the Cup winners also win the league title, will enter the Europa League in the first qualifying round next season.