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Will the fifth-placed team in Premier League qualify for UEFA Champions League?

As was the case for the 2024/25 season, UEFA will award two bonus qualification spots for the two best performing European nations ahead of the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.

In the 2024/25 competition, Italy and Germany received an additional UEFA Champions League spot, meaning a total of five teams from both countries earned qualification for the league phase of the tournament.

The race is now on for the 2025/26 season, and we take a look at the possibility of the English Premier League benefiting from an additional UEFA Champions League berth.

Football

How do European leagues earn an extra UEFA Champions League spot?

As of the 2024/25 competition, UEFA granted two additional UEFA Champions League spots to the top two performing nations in European competitions.

This is measured using coefficient points, with clubs across Europe earning their nations points in line with their results in the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League - two for a win and one for a draw.

The points at the end of a European campaign are added up and divided by the number of competing teams in Europe from a particular nation.

Last season, Italy and Germany finished as the top two European nations in the coefficient table, meaning the two teams who finished in fifth place in Serie A and the Bundesliga - Bologna and Borussia Dortmund - both earned UEFA Champions League qualification.

Current UEFA Coefficient rankings

The current UEFA Coefficient rankings for the 2024/25 season are as follows:

1) England
2) Italy
3) Spain
4) France
5) Germany

*Stats correct as of 27th January 2025.

This means, as things stand, England and Italy will be granted five UEFA Champions League spots for the 2025/26 season.

Do the Europa League winners qualify for the UEFA Champions League?

As per UEFA rules, the winners of the UEFA Europa League are rewarded with direct entry into the UEFA Champions League for the next season.

Previously, one nation was only allowed a maximum of five clubs in the UEFA Champions League, but this rule has been scrapped.

Therefore, should a team outside of the top five of the Premier League win the UEFA Europa League this season, then there will be six English teams in the competition in 2025/26.

Do the UEFA Champions League winners automatically qualify for the next season?

As per UEFA rules, the winners of the UEFA Champions League are rewarded with direct entry into the competition for the next season.

Previously, if a team outside of the UEFA Champions League qualifying positions in their domestic league won the tournament, they would take the place of the last qualifying team in the table.

For example, when Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League in 2011/12 but won the UEFA Champions League, the Blues took the place of fourth-placed Tottenham in the tournament in the subsequent season.

The limit surrounding the number of teams from one nation qualifying for the UEFA Champions League has now been lifted, meaning in theory the Premier League could have up to seven competing teams next season - the top five in the table, the potential UEFA Europa League winners and the potential UEFA Champions League winners.

You can see all the latest UEFA Champions League odds on our dedicated UEFA Champions League hub.

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