The expansion of the Champions League to 36 teams for the 2024/25 season will see four extra spots in the competition available.
UEFA has announced that two of the four slots will go to nations whose clubs achieve the best collective performance in Europe in the season before. For example, if these new rules had applied for this campaign, the two extra places would have gone to clubs from England and the Netherlands.
Indeed, in four of the past five campaigns, a team in the Premier League would have received one of the additional slots. While English sides are vying for a fifth Champions League spot, performances in Europe haven't quite lived up to standard and there's already jeopardy with the extra spot. But will the Premier League get the fifth Champions League spot for 2024/25? FourFourTwo takes a closer look below.
Will the Premier League get the fifth Champions League spot for 2024/25?
Following the conclusion of the Champions League group stages, the Premier League is at risk of missing out on an extra spot. Both Manchester United and Newcastle United finished bottom of their groups, meaning England now lags behind Germany and Italy in the UEFA association coefficient rankings.
While Germany and England both have six sides apiece left in Europe - Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg and Eintracht Frankfurt; Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham and Aston Villa - there are more Bundesliga teams (three compared to two) remaining in the Champions League.
Italy, meanwhile, still has seven sides alive and kicking in Europe - Inter, Napoli, Lazio, AC Milan, Roma, Atalanta and Fiorentina - ensuring the Premier League lags behind in the rankings.
And while Spain saw all four Champions League teams progress to the knockout stages, in Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Real Sociedad, Sevilla and Osasuna's early eliminations places them just behind England. Coefficient points aren't weighted more heavily to the Champions League, either, meaning the Europa League and Europa Conference League are just as important in the rankings.
But there's still plenty of time remaining for the Premier League to gain that extra spot in the Champions League.
If English sides progress far into their respective competitions, then it's more than likely that the Premier League will be rewarded with five sides next term. That also depends on how both German and Italian teams perform, though, with those two nations currently in the driving seats.
Champions League coefficient rankings
- Germany, 13.36
- Italy, 13.14
- England, 12.13
- Spain, 12.06
- France, 10.42
- Belgium, 10.20
- Czech Republic, 9.25
- Turkey, 9.00
- Denmark, 8.50
- Netherlands, 8.20
How are Champions League coefficient rankings calculated?
A win is worth two coefficient points for a club, while a draw is worth one. Obviously, a defeat doesn't give anything. Bonus points are also awarded for progression to certain stages, with a heavier weighting provided to Champions League bonuses compared to the Europa League and Europa Conference League.
Once the points from clubs in a nation are added together, they're then divided by the number of clubs a country has in Europe. That provides the coefficient average - meaning Manchester United's and Newcastle United's performances have negatively impacted England's ranking.
Champions League bonus points
4 - Group stage participation
5 - Round of 16
1 - QF, SF, final
Europa League bonus points
4 - Group winners
2 - Group runners-up
1 - Round of 16, QF, SF, final
Europa Conference League bonus points
2 - Group winners
1 - Group runners-up
1 - SF, final
