Spain May Send Five Teams to Champions League Next Season
Spain could potentially qualify five teams for the upcoming UEFA Champions League season. The final UEFA ranking at the end of the current season will be crucial in determining which leagues can send a fifth team to Europe’s premier club competition and a total of eight teams to all UEFA competitions.
The strong performance of Spanish teams in European competitions, coupled with the poor results of Italian clubs, has allowed Spain to overtake Italy in the UEFA ranking. The top two countries in the ranking have the privilege of sending five teams to the Champions League, two to the Europa League, and one to the Conference League. Currently, the top 5 in the UEFA ranking are:
- England: 24.250 points
- Spain: 21.678 points
- Italy: 19.937 points
- Germany: 17.921 points
- Portugal: 16.250 points
Understanding the UEFA Coefficient
The UEFA ranking is determined by the results in European competitions. The further Spanish teams progress in UEFA competitions, the more beneficial it is for Spanish football. Currently, four Spanish teams remain active: Real Madrid, Barcelona (Champions League), Athletic Club (Europa League), and Real Betis (Conference League).
The coefficient calculated at the end of the season takes into account the coefficients from the last five seasons. To calculate it, all points accumulated by the clubs from a country/association in UEFA competitions are summed up and then divided by the number of clubs that participated in UEFA competitions from that association.
Points System
UEFA awards points based on match results. The point system includes:
- 2 points for a win (1 point for qualifying and playoff matches)
- 1 point for a draw (0.5 points for qualifying and playoff matches)
- 0 points for a loss
- Additional points for reaching various stages in each competition
With four teams still active in European competitions, it’s likely that Spanish football can secure the second place in the UEFA ranking and, consequently, send five clubs to the next edition of the Champions League.