THIS year's Scottish Premiership champions will be the last to benefit from a guaranteed automatic Champions League group stage spot.
That's the grim news for Celtic and Rangers after Viktoria Plzen secured a goalless Europa Conference League draw against Fiorentina which means that the Czechs are guaranteed to leapfrog us into 10th in the rankings.
It only increases the incentive for this year's title winners - who will gain direct access to the new and improved Champions League group stages - guaranteeing them eight matches instead of six.
Clubs could pocket anything from £40m to £60m - although Scotland's second placed side will still get the chance to find their way in via the qualifiers.
But it's a huge blow, with next season's Premiership champions only guaranteed to go straight into the PLAY-OFF round of the 'champions path' - with our second placed side having to get past two rounds of qualifying.
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But if they claim next season's title Rangers COULD still land an automatic group stage spot - by dint of their impressive five-year coefficient.
Their recent heroics in the Europa League mean that they currently sit 25th in the continent's rankings.
And if next year's Champions League winner also qualifies by league position, they're currently in pole position to bag an automatic spot freed up for the domestic champion with the best five-year ranking who doesn't gain direct access via their league.
indeed, this same co-efficient could even see them sidestep qualifying and get an automatic spot NEXT season if they finish behind Celtic in the league.
If this year's Europa League winner also qualifies for the Champions League by league position - the likes of Liverpool and Leverkusen are still in - the Champions League qualifying side with the best five-year co-efficient goes straight in.
That's dependent on the outcome of various domestic championships around Europe, though, with Benfica - who currently sit second in the Portuguese league - in pole position to benefit instead.
The really bad news is that things are going to get WORSE before they get any better for our teams.
With a bumper season by Scottish standards set to get wiped off the board in the five-year rankings, we are currently sitting no better than 18th on the continent in terms of access into 2025-26 competitions.
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