Shakhtar scrap coefficient count as Rangers see £30m domino tumble towards Champions League back door
The Ukrainian side have control of the race to snag the UEFA’s golden ticket to Europe’s elite competition
16:26, 21 Apr 2026Updated 19:34, 21 Apr 2026
Shakhtar Donetsk players celebrate(Image: Getty Images)
Shakhtar Donetsk boss Arda Turan has warned his side that nothing is secure – after Rangers’ bid for direct entry into the Champions League next season suffered a major blow.
If the Glasgow giants lift the Scottish Premiership title this term they could capitalise on a UEFA loophole that will secure a spot in next season’s league phase.
This year’s Champions League winners will automatically qualify for next season’s league phase and the newly-crowned Kings of Europe are also guaranteed to earn a place via their domestic position – with Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid booking semi-final spots last week.
That means that the club that holds the best individual coefficient of all the domestic champions involved in qualifying will enter directly instead of navigating their original round.
The Light Blues slipped into second in the five-year club coefficient table, and were leapfrogged by Olympiacos – who progressed to the Champions League knockout phase this term.
With four games remaining, the Greek giants face an uphill battle to claim their domestic crown as they sit five points league leaders AEK.
But Shakhtar are mounting a late surge up the coefficient table after 5-3 aggregate Conference League quarter-final win over AZ Alkmaar. The Ukrainian side sit third in the standings.
Victory over the Dutch side last week moved Shakhtar (56.25) within five touching distance of Rangers (59.25). The 2-2 draw in Alkmaar on Thursday night secured an additional coefficient point, with 0.5 additionally added for progressing to the semi-final stage.
The Ukrainian side now know they need to claim at least three more points from their remaining fixtures to snag the golden ticket. They will play Crystal Palace in the semi-final.
Clubs receive two points for a victory and one for a draw. An additional 0.5 would be added to Shakhtar’s tally if they reach the showpiece final.
Domestically, Shakhtar are in pole position to claim the Ukrainian title after seeing off Polissya Zhytomyr 1-0 on Monday to move top with a game in hand over LNZ – who suffered a surprise defeat to Kolos last weekend.
Having admitted he was tallying up the coefficient points with a view to booking a spot in the Champions League in the wake of semi-final progress, Turan abruptly changed his tune after reaching the summit.
Djeidi Gassama (2L) celebrates with teammates scoring his team’s first goal vs Porto(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
He noted the relentless fixture schedule facing his side in the midst of the conflict with Russia and was coy on the club’s hopes of silverware this term: “It is really difficult, because now we have to play consistently once every three days.
“For us, there is no concept of games in the semi-finals with Crystal Palace, we are focused only on the next match. The most important thing is not to lose concentration and focus on what matters.
“I am not sure that there has ever been a case in history when a team playing in the championship of a country that is in a state of full-scale war held 20 European cup matches, which we had to play first in the qualifiers and then in the subsequent stages of the league.
“So, nothing’s decided yet; much lies ahead, and we must respect each of our opponents until the last minute, until the final whistle of the final game of this Ukrainian championship season.
“Do you know when the best is determined in Europe — both on the European stage as a whole and within individual leagues? That’s in May. So, it’s too early to talk about any final results for the season.”
Danny Rohl’s team are the only side from Scotland that can take advantage of the back door route to Europe’s elite competition.
If Hearts or Celtic win the league, then they will enter at the play-off stage of the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League, meaning they will have to overcome a two-legged tie to secure a £30million ticket to the league phase. That’s because Scotland have slid down UEFA’s coefficient rankings into 18th – losing a guaranteed spot in the competition.
