Rangers hit by £50m body blow as FIFA decision made

According to The Sun, Rangers have been disqualified from competing in the expanded FIFA Club World Cup in 2025, which means they will suffer a serious blow by not winning the £50 million prize.

Prior to FIFA’s ruling council agreeing that only co-efficient points gained in the Champions League would count towards qualification, the Ibrox club had high hopes of making it to the tournament.

Because of this, neither Rangers nor Celtic will be in the running, and in order to have a chance to play in 2029, they will need to play at the highest level in the premier UEFA competition for the next four seasons.

The decision to only include Champions League coefficient points may cause Rangers to lose out, despite their recent successes in the Europa League, notably their historic triumph in Seville that allowed them to go to the knockout stages this season.

It is evident from looking at the participating clubs that this is a battle for the best teams in Europe, including Manchester City, Real Madrid, and Chelsea, who have already secured their spots as the previous three Champions League champions.

The addition of Bayern Munich, PSG, Inter Milan, Porto, and Benfica is all but certain. Given their results in UEFA competitions, Rangers will probably understandably feel disappointed to have missed out, but do they really belong in that elite group any more?

Although it would be unrealistic to expect Rangers to compete with these teams even in the Champions League given the poor financial and investment levels in Scottish football, it will be devastating to lose out on an additional £50 million.