Rangers in Europe: Real Betis permutations, when is Europa and Conference League draw, possible opponents

All the potential outcomes for Rangers ahead of their Europa League group finale in Seville

Rangers' European fate depends on their result against Real Betis and potentially the outcome of Aris Limassol v Sparta Prague. (Photo by Rob Casey / SNS Group)

Rangers travel to Real Betis in their Europa League Group C decider safe in the knowledge that, regardless of the result, they will be playing in Europe after Christmas.

What will be decided on Thursday evening is what competition Rangers will be involved in with progression in the Europa League, or the fallback of the Europa Conference League, both possible outcomes.

Rangers can guarantee themselves a place in the last 16 of the Europa League if they become the first Scottish side in history to win in Seville at the ninth attempt. A scenario which would see them overhaul Betis to win the group.

Failure to win would open the door for Sparta Prague to finish second in the group if they defeat Aris Limassol in Cyprus, pushing Rangers into third place. This would see the Ibrox side drop into the Europa Conference League knockout play-off round where they would face one of the group runners-up from UEFA's third-tier competition for a place in the last 16.

Should both Rangers and Sparta fail to win, then Rangers would advance to the Europa League knockout play-off round as Group C runners-up, where they would face one of the eight sides who drop down from the Champions League after finishing third in their group section.

That essentially leaves Rangers with three possible outcomes: Europa League last 16 if they beat Betis; Europa League knock-out play-off round if both they and Sparta Prague fail to win; or Europa Conference League knockout play-off round if they fail to win but the Czechs defeat Limassol in Cyprus.

When is the draw for the Europa and Conference League knockout stages?

Should Rangers fail to defeat Real Betis they will discover their next opponents in either the Europa League or Conference League knockout play-offs when the draw for both rounds is made on Monday, December 18. The draw will begin at 12pm UK time and takes place at the House of European Football in Nyon, Switzerland.

Should Rangers beat Real Betis then they will have to wait until Friday, February 23, 2024 to discover their fate when the draw for the Europa League last 16 is made following the conclusion of the knockout play-off rounds. The draw will begin at 11am and will take place at the same venue.

How to watch the Europa and Conference League knockout stage draw

The draw will be available to watch for free on UEFA.com as well as the TNT Sports YouTube channel. The draw will also be broadcast live on TNT Sports for subscribers.

Rangers' possible opponents and match dates

If Rangers qualify for the Europa League last 16 with victory over Betis then they would avoid facing any of the other eight group winners due to the seeding process. Instead Rangers would face one of the eight sides who progress from the knockout play-off round which will either be a second-placed team from the Europa League group stages, or a third-placed team from the Champions League group stages. This tie would be played on March 7 and 14 with Rangers guaranteed home advantage in the second leg.

If Rangers qualify for the Europa League knockout play-off round by finishing runners-up in Group C, then they would face one of the eight Champions League drop-outs for a place in the last 16. The eight possible opponents have been confirmed as Galatasaray, Lens, Braga, Benfica, Feyenoord, AC Milan, Young Boys and Shakhtar Donetsk. This tie would be played on February 15 and February 22 with Rangers guaranteed home advantage in the second leg.

If Rangers drop into the Europa Conference League by finishing third in the group, then they would face one of the eight Conference League group runners-up in the knockout play-off round for a place in the last 16. This could set up a rematch of the 2022 Europa League final with Eintracht Frankfurt the only side to have confirmed their place in the knockout play-off round thus far. Other possible opponents depending on the outcome of Thursday's fixtures are: Lille or Slovan Bratislava; Gent or Maccabi Tel Aviv; Dinamo Zagreb, Astana or Ballkani; Club Brugge or Bodo/Glimt; Aston Villa, Legia Warsaw or AZ Alkmaar; Fiorentina, Ferencváros or Genk; Nordsjælland, Ludogorets or Fenerbahçe. This tie would be played on February 15 and February 22, with Rangers away from home in the second leg.