Heartbreak in Seville in the Europa League not only robbed Rangers of a first European crown in 50 years, but it similarly deprived them of automatic qualification to the Champions League group stages this season.

Instead, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s men will have to navigate two qualifying rounds this summer if they are to seal a return to Europe’s premier competition.

Here's all you need to know about how their route could pan out.

Where do Rangers enter the competition?

Rangers will enter the competition at the Third Qualifying Round in the League Path section of the draw where they play Belgians Union Saint-Gilloise.

Should they navigate that, van Bronckhorst’s side will go into a winner-takes-all Play-Off Round.

When will the Champions League Play-Off round get drawn?

The draw for the Play-Off Round is to be held on August 2nd at 1pm UK time.

Rangers will learn of their potential Play-Off Round opponents before they have even kicked a ball in the competition, with the Third Qualifying Round first leg matches set to take place on August 2nd or 3rd.

What is the draw for the Third round?

Monaco vs PSV Eindhoven*

Dyanmo Kyiv/Fenerbahce* vs Sturm Graz

Union Sant-Gilloise vs Rangers*

Benfica* vs Midtjylland/AEK Larnaca

*Seeded

Who are Union Saint-Gilloise?

Belgian Pro League runners-up Union Saint-Gilloise will be an interesting tie for the Ibrox club as they prepare to make their debut in the Champions League.

They remarkably led the Belgian Pro League ahead of Club Brugge in the regular season, but they collapsed in the Championship Play-Offs and missed out on automatic passage through to the group stages.

Without automatic qualification, USG will be vulnerable to big bids for their star players, with the club already losing Pro League top goalscorer Denis Undav.

The German was snapped up by Brighton on the final day of the January transfer window and was immediately loaned back to the Belgian outfit for the remainder of the season, with Undav joining up with Graham Potter’s side this summer.

Who could Rangers face in the Play-Off Round?

Should Rangers successfully navigate the Third Qualifying Round, they are guaranteed to be seeded in the Play-Off Round. They will definitely NOT face Benfica as the Portuguese side are the highest seeded side with Rangers second. That means van Bronckhorst's men WILL be seeded in the next draw.

The Ibrox side could face Dutch giants PSV, who boast the lowest coefficient from the seeded teams in the Third Qualifying Round.

That could present a particularly tricky challenge for van Bronckhorst’s side, with PSV having finished just two points behind eventual champions Ajax in the Eredivisie.

However, they are likely to be going through a transitional period this summer after the departure of manager Roger Schmidt to Benfica.

Former Man Utd and Real Madrid forward Ruud van Nistelrooy has been appointed as his successor, with the Dutchman taking his first steps into senior management.

PSV will also have to cope with the departure of veteran midfielder Eran Zahavi ahead of next season, while 23-year-old Cody Gakpo, who finished as the team’s top scorer in 2021/22, is attracting admiring glances from the likes of Liverpool.

Dynamo Kiev could also lie in wait for Rangers, with the Ukrainian side having been forced to play friendlies in recent weeks following the suspension of the Ukranian Premier League.

It remains to be seen whether Uefa will retain the home/away element involving Ukrainian sides this summer, but the Gers will face a stiff test nonetheless.

Dynamo hope to hold onto the impressive Viktor Tsygankov, scorer of 11 goals from midfield last season, despite the Israel international reportedly exploring his options elsewhere.

The club could face a player exodus amid the ongoing situation in the country, with Vitaliy Mykolenko having departed to Everton back in January. Boss Mircea Lucescu has already admitted he may need to look inwards towards the academy for replacements.

What happens if Rangers lose in Champions League qualifying?

They are guaranteed Europa League group stage football at a minimum next season.

Regardless of which stage they exit the qualifying rounds at, van Bronckhorst’s men will drop into the tournament that saw them reach the final last season.

How likely is it that Rangers reach the Champions League group stages?

van Bronckhorst’s men are projected to reach the group stages based on their coefficient ranking.

However, last season’s shock exit to Malmo underlines the precarity of knockout football, with Rangers visibly undercooked against a side who were in the midst of their domestic season.

Midjtylland, therefore, could pose a similar problem for the Gers, but the Danish side only just managed to scrape past a makeshift Celtic side in Champions League qualifying last summer.

van Bronckhorst has underlined himself as a shrewd European knockout coach with his exploits in the Europa League last season.

Should he be able to replicate those performances, it's difficult not to envisage Rangers as a Champions League outfit next season.