Italy’s Serie A could have as many as six representatives in the Champions League next season; an unprecedented number of sides from a single country.
Like the Premier League, Italy have previously usually earned four Champions League places thanks to their strong coefficient – the score given to each country by UEFA based on performance in continental competition.
However, the expansion of the Champions League from 32 teams to 36 under a new format next season means that UEFA will now hand out a fifth place in the competition to the two countries whose clubs performed best in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League the previous season.
Atalanta's final Serie A position will determine how many Italian sides enter the Champions League
For next season, those bonus places have already been sealed by Germany and Italy.
The Bundesliga had two teams in the semi-finals of the Champions League and may win the thing via Borussia Dortmund, on top of Bayer Leverkusen finishing as runners-up in the Europa League.
Italy have earned the other place, because although all three of their Champions League sides went out in the round of 16, they have performed strongly in the other UEFA competitions. Atalanta won the Europa League while Roma reached the semi-finals, and Fiorentina will take on Olympiacos in the Conference League final next Wednesday night. So far, so straightforward.
However, Atalanta’s Europa League triumph earns them a Champions League place on its own, regardless of their league position – which does complicate things slightly.
They currently sit 5th in Serie A, two points behind Juventus and Bologna and with a game in hand on both of them. If Atalanta finished the season fifth, then the extra Champions League place Italy have earned through their European performance overall would transfer to the next non-qualified Serie A side (the side finishing sixth), which will almost certainly be Roma.
That’s because it’s considered a bonus Champions League spot for Italy specifically: the top four would qualify as normal, Atalanta get in as Europa League winners, and because they have already qualified through other means, the bonus spot would go to the team in sixth place, thus giving Italy six Champions League representatives next season.
However, if Atalanta overtake either or both of Juventus or Bologna to finish in the top four, they will have qualified for the Champions League outright through their league position – and so their place for winning the Europa League would be reallocated on different terms.
Instead of moving down a place to the sixth-placed Serie A side, the Champions League spot proper would pass to the highest-ranked team in the Champions League qualifying round, which would be Benfica.
To recap: in this scenario, the top four (including Atalanta) would qualify for the Champions League as normal, the Europa League winners' place would be reallocated per UEFA rules (to Benfica), and Italy's bonus spot would go to the team that finishes fifth in Serie A, meaning they would 'only' have five representatives in the Champions League next season.
Phew.
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