Scotland's automatic path into the Champions League looks set to be coming to an end.

Last night's set of results in favour of teams from the Czech Republic dealt a major blow to both Premiership title chasers Rangers and Celtic.

As is well-known, by finishing top spot in Scotland, not only is the crown secured, but so is a place in the group stage of the following season's Champions League - and the £40m riches that brings.

Over the past two years the winners, Celtic, have entered the competition without the need to go through the strenuous qualification process, while Rangers in second have had to negotiate some ties in order to progress.

The Ibrox club managed that feat under Giovanni van Bronckhorst, but failed under Michael Beale. On both occasions, they faced PSV Eindhoven.

Now, it looks increasingly likely that this season will be the last for a while that a Scottish team automatically qualifies for the Champions League by winning the Premiership.

That's because Scotland's place in 10th of UEFA's coefficient table hangs in the balance, and unfortunately looks like it will be wiped out by the Czechs, which would see Scotland drop outside of the top ten into 11th.

Scotland has a tiny lead over the Czech Republic now with 35.85 points, while last night's dramatic win for Sparta Prague saw their nation's coefficient score reach 35.3 points.

It was a terrible result for Scotland's coefficient, with 0.75 points added to their overall total. Sparta scored an incredible three goals inside the last 15 minutes to beat Galatasaray 6-4 on aggregate.

The Czechs hold a distinct advantage over Scotland in this situation because they have three teams remaining in European competition, while the Scots are solely reliant on Rangers to fly the flag.

So, even if Rangers does progress to the quarters, it would be more beneficial for Scotland if all three Czech teams were to be eliminated in the next round.

READ MORE: Rangers potential Europa League last 16 opponents revealed

Joining Sparta in the Europa League last-16 is city rivals Slavia, who like Rangers, qualified via the group stage.

Viktoria Plzen topped their Europa Conference League group before Christmas to progress.

While it's definitely a concern for the future, the winners of this season's top flight in Scotland will still enjoy their participation in the revamped Champions League next term, with that much unaffected.

However, any potential changes would come into play in the following campaign, which is the 2025/26 season.