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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Sport
Guardian sport and agencies

Scottish teams lose automatic spot in Champions League group stages

Liam Scales of Celtic reacts after a goal by Lazio's Pedro
Celtic finished bottom of Group E this season with only one win from their six matches. Photograph: Stuart Wallace/Shutterstock

From next season, the Scottish Premiership champions will no longer automatically make it into the group stage of the Champions League, after the Czech Republic overtook Scotland to take 10th spot in Uefa’s coefficient rankings.

Viktoria Plzen’s goalless draw at Fiorentina in their Europa Conference League quarter-final first leg on Thursday was the crucial part of the jigsaw which means Scottish title-winners beyond the current campaign will enter the Champions League in a playoff round against a side from outside the top 10 European leagues.

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