South Africa Under-20 star Shandre Campbell set to face Arsenal, Barcelona and Bayern Munich in UEFA Champions League 2025/26 league phase after Club Brugge get past Rangers in emphatic style

Shandre Campbell's Club Brugge hammered Rangers 6-0 in the second leg of the UEFA Champions League play-offs at home on Wednesday to seal a 9-1 aggregate victory and qualify for the group phase.

Although the South Africa Under-20 attacker was not in Wednesday's matchday squad, he has been playing for the Club Brugge first team this season.

He has made just one appearance in the Belgian top-flight league this term and has a goal to his name. 

The draw for the Champions League 2025/26 league phase was conducted on Thursday and Club Brugge will face La Liga giants Barcelona, Arsenal, Marseille and Monaco at home

Their away opponents will be Bundesliga heavyweights Bayern Munich, Atalanta, Sporting CP and Kairat Almaty.

Since Percy Tau featured in the Champions League during the 2019/20 season, no South African footballer has played in this competition.

Interestingly, Tau was also turning out for Club Brugge during that time and that is the club Campbell is playing for now.

With Campbell in and around the Club Brugge first team, he has chances of playing in Europe's premier club competition,

Playing Champions League football would increase Campbell's chances of breaking into the Bafana Bafana squad.

The experience gained from such a tournament could also help him make Hugo Broos' Africa Cup of Nations squad.

He is already knocking on the senior national team door and was in Broos' preliminary squad for the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers but did not make the final team.

While the former SuperSport United star was excluded from the Bafana squad, he is a key member of the South Africa Under-20 team.

He is part of the group set to compete at the FIFA Under-20 World Cup 2025 in Chile from late September.