SCOTLAND GETS TWO UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE PLACES

Rangers and Celtic have both clinched Champions League qualifying places for next term, but what is the situation for the rest?

The good news is that there is an extra place up for grabs and one of Hibernian, Dundee United, St Johnstone or St Mirren will be assured European football until December and the significant cash bounty that comes with it.

Scotland gets two Champions League places

Scotland will have to wait until the season after next to enjoy an automatic Champions League group place, which means if next season's CL winner also qualifies for the 22/23 CL via their own national league, then next season's Scottish champions go straight into the group stages, which means an automatic financial shot in the arm of at least £40m. Something both of the Glasgow sides will be keen to get their hands on.

In the meantime, Rangers still have to negotiate two qualifying rounds to reach that stage in the autumn.

In the first, they would probably be seeded for a tie against the likes of Ludogorets, Malmo or Legia Warsaw. Not bad.

Win that and teams of the calibre of Red Bull Salzburg, Olympiakos and Slavia Prague might stand in their way. More difficult, perhaps, but not daunting.

Rangers will be joined in the competition by Celtic. But Glasgow's Green & White face a fearsome task - and three rounds - to reach the group stage, given they will be in the non-champions section in this season's tournament without a 'diddy' team in sight and only two group places up for grabs.

Although a seeding in the second qualifying round stage is almost certain, the likes of Rapid Vienna and Galatasaray would offer a stiff initial test.

Get through that and a Shakhtar Donetsk, Lyon, CSKA Moscow or Braga await should they end up being unseeded. And even if one of those is vanquished, another of those would await in the play-off round.

But there's now only one Europa spot

The good news is that both Rangers and Celtic would drop directly into the Europa League group stage if they get through their first ties.

And the top two's chances of joining another Scottish team in those groups are both more and less likely than in recent seasons, as bizarre as that sounds.

Less because there is now only one place in the competition for Scotland, but greater because that team would only have to navigate one qualifying round.

This season's Scottish Cup winners will claim that spot and will be unseeded for a play-off round contest against the likes of FC Copenhagen, Cluj, Genk or Alkmaar. Exceedingly tough, but not a European heavyweight.

And, in fact, even if they suffer a couple of hidings, their continental campaign is still guaranteed to run until December, thanks to the new Europa Conference League...

Sorry, what's the Europa Conference League?

Uefa's new third competition, to be played on Thursday evenings alongside the Europa League.

A perception has grown that it is a tournament for the dross of the continent. The Irn-Bru Cup of European football.

But there are some serious teams likely to be among the entrants, including the sixth or seventh representatives from England, Spain, Germany and Italy. So, right now, that could be Liverpool, Villarreal, Bayer Leverkusen or Roma. Tasty.

And whoever wins the Scottish Cup will be in the group stage alongside those feted sides, should they lose in the Europa League play-off. That means six games and a significant wedge of cash, even if they embarrass themselves.

The news is not so good for Scotland's two other representatives in the competition - whoever finishes third and fourth in the Premiership, or fourth and fifth should Hibs win the cup.

They would have three qualifying rounds before the group stages and may well find themselves unseeded for the second and third of those - and facing teams who would be capable of administering a thrashing or two.

So their European adventures could be over before the Premiership season starts. Much like any other season, in fact. But, all part of the fun, and should they come prepared, then who knows?