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Fifth Champions League place: Will Premier League get extra spot? How are coefficient rankings looking?
Just two rounds of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League league phase remain, with qualification for this season’s knockout stages and more at stake.
Manchester City’s qualification hopes are in the balance as they sit one point above the elimination zone ahead of a trip to Paris Saint-Germain on Wednesday, January 22.
Liverpool, Arsenal and Aston Villa are all currently in the top eight places, which secure passage to the last 16.
Also on the radar over the next fortnight are coefficient rankings.
That’s because the two leagues with the best average coefficient scores at the end of the season will secure an extra place in the 2025/26 Champions League.
If the Premier League wins that place, it would go to the team that finishes fifth in the league.
How is the Premier League looking right now in the coefficient standings? And how could a shock elimination for Manchester City impact that?
We delve into the details ahead of the penultimate league phase matchday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+.
What are UEFA’s coefficient rankings?
The UEFA coefficient rankings are determined by points gained by European clubs across the current season’s UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League competitions.
Per UEFA’s official explanation: “The association club coefficient or country rankings take into account the results of all clubs from each association and are used to determine the number of entries an association is granted for forthcoming seasons.
“The club coefficient rankings take into account the results of each club in UEFA club competition and are used to determine a club’s seeding in club competition draws.”
Teams get coefficient points for winning games and reaching different stages of the competitions.
For example, a match win in any of the three European competitions at any stage after qualifying is worth two points and a draw is worth one point.
There are bonus points depending on where a team finishes in the league phase, with more points on offer in the Champions League versus the Europa League and Conference League (12 bonus points for the Champions League league phase winner, six for the Europa League league phase winner, four for the Conference League league phase winner).
There are also points awarded for reaching each of the knockout rounds, which are again weighted by competition, with the Champions League again the most valuable.
The total amount of coefficient points gained by clubs from a league are then added together and that score is divided by the number of clubs that league has in Europe in the season.
What are the current coefficient rankings?
With two rounds to play in the Champions League and Europa League league phases, the picture is currently rosy for English clubs in the coefficient rankings.
The coefficient ranking, worked out by dividing the points accrued by the number of teams, sees England in top spot ahead of Portugal.
England have all seven clubs still in Europe and the coefficient has been boosted by Liverpool’s perfect record in the Champions League and Chelsea winning all six of their games to top the Conference League league phase.
Top 5 season coefficient rankings – 2024/25 season
| Country | Clubs | Points | Average |
| England | 7 | 94.500 | 13.500 |
| Portugal | 5 | 62.250 | 12.450 |
| Italy | 8 | 93.500 | 11.687 |
| Spain | 7 | 77.000 | 11.000 |
| Belgium | 5 | 54.500 | 10.900 |
According to Opta predictions, there’s currently a 97.8 per cent chance that the Premier League will get an extra place in next season’s Champions League.
Liverpool have already secured their spot in the last 16 of the Champions League and Arsenal and Aston Villa are both in the top eight ahead of the seventh matchday.
Manchester United are assured of at least the Europa League play-offs and Tottenham look poised to advance too.
The only Premier League team in danger of not qualifying from the league phase are Manchester City.
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Pep Guardiola’s side have won just two of their six league phase games and are one point above the elimination zone. They finish the league phase with games against PSG and then Club Brugge.
City’s exit would be a dent for the Premier League’s chances of an extra Champions League place. However, the Premier League would still have plenty of strong representation in the chase for coefficient points.
Who could benefit from A FIFTH Champions League place?
Ironically, it could be Manchester City who take advantage if the Premier League is awarded a fifth Champions League spot next season.
Newcastle are currently fifth in the Premier League table with Chelsea and Bournemouth only a point behind them.
If Chelsea win the Conference League, they do not qualify automatically for the Champions League, instead they qualify for the Europa League league phase.
A fifth Champions League spot for the Premier League would mean the positions that qualify for the Europa League and Conference League will also move down the table by one place.
What if a Premier League team wins a European competition?
If a Premier League team wins this season’s Champions League or Europa League they will automatically qualify for the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League regardless of their league finishing position.
If the Premier League club that wins the Champions League or Europa League also finishes in the top four then their qualification spot will not drop to another team in the Premier League.
overall coefficient for a country (or club), it is performances over the last five seasons that are taken into account.
What are the club and country coefficients?
As well as the season coefficient rankings, there are country and club rankings.
These rankings are taken from the previous five seasons and are used to determine seedings and how many places each nation gets in European competitions.
Manchester City are currently top of the club rankings but will drop 35 points from their total at the end of the season from their 2020/21 run to the Champions League final.
England will also be dropping a large amount of points (24.357) from the 2020/21 season.
Top 5 country coefficient rankings – Last five seasons
| Country | Points |
| England | 99.232 |
| Italy | 87.043 |
| Spain | 81.561 |
| Germany | 78.285 |
| France | 64.950 |
Top 5 club coefficient rankings – Last five seasons
| Club | Points |
| Man City | 135.000 |
| Real Madrid | 131.000 |
| Bayern Munich | 122.000 |
| Liverpool | 114.000 |
| Roma | 97.000 |
TNT Sports will show over 500 matches from the UEFA Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Conference League across the 2024-25 season. The streaming home for TNT Sports in the UK is discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
Fifth Champions League place: Will Premier League get extra spot? How are coefficient rankings looking?
With the Premier League currently sitting in second place in the UEFA coefficient rankings, there is a strong possibility that the English top-flight could secure a fifth Champions League spot for the 2022/23 season. This would mean that the top five teams in the Premier League would qualify for Europe’s premier club competition, providing an extra opportunity for English clubs to showcase their talent on the biggest stage.
The coefficient rankings are determined by a combination of factors, including the performance of teams from a specific country in European competitions over the past five seasons. The better a country’s teams perform in European competitions, the higher their coefficient ranking will be.
Currently, the Premier League has a coefficient ranking of 98.140, just behind La Liga (101.283) and ahead of Serie A (75.605) and the Bundesliga (70.498). If the Premier League can maintain its strong performances in European competitions, it is likely that they will secure a fifth Champions League spot in the near future.
This would be a significant boost for English clubs, as it would provide more opportunities for them to compete against the best teams in Europe and potentially increase their chances of success in the Champions League. It would also enhance the reputation of the Premier League as one of the strongest and most competitive leagues in the world.
Overall, the Premier League’s strong coefficient ranking and consistent performances in European competitions are promising signs that they could secure a fifth Champions League spot in the coming seasons. Fans of English clubs will be eagerly awaiting the outcome of the coefficient rankings and hoping for an extra opportunity to see their teams compete in the Champions League.
Tags:
Premier League, Champions League, coefficient rankings, extra spot, UEFA, European competition, football, soccer, English clubs, qualification, top flight, European places, tournament, qualifying rounds, top teams
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