The Premier League has suffered a significant setback in the UEFA coefficient rankings following the Europa League defeats of West Ham and Liverpool. With hopes of securing an extra Champions League spot fading, the league faces an uphill battle to earn one of the additional spots in next season’s competition.
Europe’s top leagues have been competing for the opportunity to secure an extra spot in the Champions League ahead of the introduction of the new format. The competition will expand from 32 to 36 clubs, with teams playing eight matches in the qualification stage.
The top eight teams will progress to the last 16, while the ninth to 24th-placed teams will face off in two-legged play-offs. Currently, Italy and Germany are leading the table with scores of 19.428 and 17.928 respectively, closely followed by England with 17.375.
Germany has two teams in the Champions League semi-finals, Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich, as well as Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League last four. Italy, on the other hand, still has Roma, Fiorentina, and Atalanta in the Europa League, giving them an advantage in the rankings.
England’s chances of securing more points in the coefficient table rest solely on Aston Villa in the Conference League. However, their chances of gaining enough points and Germany gaining few enough are slim. England can still achieve a maximum possible score of 18.25, higher than Germany’s current score, if Aston Villa wins all their remaining games and lifts the Europa Conference League.
However, earning a fifth Champions League spot would require a series of unfavorable results for Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen in their respective semi-finals.
While England’s success in Europe could benefit teams chasing a Champions League spot, it would also make qualification for the Europa League and Conference League easier for lower-ranked teams.
This would result in the sixth and seventh-placed teams qualifying for the Europa League, assuming a Champions League side wins the FA Cup.
The remaining matches will determine the final standings and the allocation of extra spots in next season’s competition.
Article updated 2 months ago. Content is written and modified by multiple authors.
