Scottish football's representatives in continental competition are bracing for a considerably tougher path through Europa League qualifying next season, following changes to the tournament structure and a decline in Scotland's European coefficient standing.
Under the revised format, Scotland's Scottish Cup winners will enter the Europa League at the first qualifying round stage. However, should that same club also claim the Premiership title, it will instead be the league runners-up who take that qualifying berth.
The bigger concern for Scottish sides lies in which qualifying path they are drawn into. The so-called "non-champions" route is significantly tougher, populated by clubs that secured European qualification through league position in nations including Belgium, Turkey, the Czech Republic and Greece. Compounding the difficulty, teams eliminated from Champions League qualifying can also be redirected into this same non-champions pathway. This season, that group included Olympiakos, Sparta Prague, Sturm Graz and Union Saint-Gilloise - all sides with strong European pedigree.
Scottish clubs have already felt the sting of this demanding route. Hearts, competing in the non-champions path this season, were eliminated by Portuguese giants Benfica. Rangers, despite being a seeded side, suffered defeat at the same stage against Polish outfit Jagiellonia Bialystok.
The outlook for next season appears even less favorable. Celtic and Rangers' five-year coefficient ranking has slipped, a consequence of underwhelming results across Scotland's European campaigns in recent years. As a result, both clubs could enter their qualifying rounds unseeded, raising the likelihood of facing opposition from one of Europe's major footballing nations right from the outset - a scenario that would make progression considerably harder.
There is, however, a silver lining buried within the otherwise bleak forecast. Should Scotland's league champions be eliminated from Champions League qualifying and fall into the Europa League qualifying rounds, they will be paired against another club making the same drop down from Champions League qualifying. That means, rather than facing a side that never had Champions League ambitions, the champions would meet a team of similarly high European aspiration and pedigree - potentially a fairer test, even if a demanding one.
This arrangement will be of little comfort to Celtic in practical terms, though, given how the qualifying route has shifted. This season, Celtic's position meant they entered the Champions League at the play-off round stage, which guaranteed them a place in the Europa League league phase regardless of the outcome of that tie. That safety net will not exist in the same way next season.
Because of Scotland's coefficient slide down the rankings table, the Scottish champions will instead be required to enter the Champions League qualifying process at the second qualifying round - a full round earlier than before. That means the champions must now win three consecutive qualifying ties in order to reach the Champions League league phase itself, a considerably steeper and more demanding challenge than what Celtic faced this past campaign.
Taken together, the changes paint a difficult picture for Scottish football's European prospects. Both the champions' path to the Champions League and the more general Europa League qualifying route for Scotland's clubs appear tougher than before, driven largely by the country's declining coefficient standing relative to other European leagues. Clubs and fans alike will be watching closely to see how Celtic, Rangers and any Scottish Cup-winning side navigate this harsher landscape when the new season arrives.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.