Spain on the Brink of Securing Five Champions League Spots
Spain is poised to potentially send five teams to the UEFA Champions League in the upcoming season. The final UEFA rankings at the end of the current season will be crucial in determining which leagues can allocate a fifth team to Europe’s premier club competition and a total of eight teams to all UEFA competitions.
The strong performance of Spanish clubs in European tournaments, coupled with the underwhelming results of Italian teams, has put Spain in a position to overtake Italy in the UEFA rankings. The top two ranked associations earn the privilege of sending five teams to the Champions League, two to the Europa League, and one to the Conference League. If Spain surpasses Italy, La Liga could secure an additional spot in the Champions League. The current top 5 in the UEFA ranking are:
- England: 20.892 points
- Italy: 17.562 points
- Spain: 17.464 points
- Germany: 15.171 points
- Portugal: 15.150 points
Understanding the UEFA Coefficient
The UEFA ranking is determined by the results in European competitions. The further Spanish teams progress in UEFA tournaments – and the more Italian teams that are eliminated – the more beneficial it is for Spanish football. Currently, six Spanish teams remain active: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid (Champions League), Athletic Bilbao, Real Sociedad (Europa League), and Real Betis (Conference League). Only Girona has been eliminated so far.
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 various clubs from a country/association in UEFA competitions are summed up, 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 is as follows:
- 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 six teams still active in European competitions, Spanish football has a strong chance of claiming the second spot in the UEFA rankings and, consequently, securing five Champions League spots for the next season.