England’s hopes of securing an additional place in next season’s Champions League look all but over after falling behind Germany in the coefficient rankings.
Manchester City and Arsenal exited the Champions League in the quarter-finals this week, while German representatives Bayern Munich – who beat the Gunners over two legs – and Borussia Dortmund progressed to the last four.
The knock-on effect appears to be the end of England’s hopes of an additional Champions League place next season, with two ‘European Performance Spots’ awarded to the nations with the best performance in this season’s competitions. Italy look assured of one place, while Germany have now moved clear of England in second place in the coefficient rankings.
With West Ham and Liverpool facing uphill tasks to progress in the Europa League, Aston Villa – who hold a 2-1 lead over Lille in the Europa Conference League – could be the final English side in European competition.
Germany, meanwhile, have Bayern and Dortmund in the UCL semi-finals and Bayer Leverkusen, leading West Ham 2-0 on aggregate ahead of Thursday’s game, additionally in the Europa League.
England’s drop in the coefficient rankings is bad news for Tottenham, who currently sit fifth in the Premier League table. The north Londoners are three points behind Aston Villa, with a game in hand. RB Leipzig or Borussia Dortmund look the likely beneficiaries from the Bundesliga’s additional place.
Current coefficient rankings for 2023/24
- Italy — 18.428
- Germany — 17.642
- England — 16.875
- Spain — 15.312
- France — 15.250
Why are there additional places in next season’s Champions League?
From next season, the Champions League will expand from the current 32-team format to 36 teams. Each team will play eight matches against eight opponents in a new-look group phase, that will see progress to the knockout rounds determined by a league table featuring all 36 teams.
Of the extra places, two will be allocated to the fifth-placed teams from the two leagues with the best coefficient ranking, currently Italy and Germany.
Additionally, there will be an extra place for a domestic title winner from one of Europe’s less prominent leagues. The final place will be allocated to the league that finishes fifth in UEFA’s country ranking, judged on coefficient points across the last five seasons. France are currently fifth (65.831), ahead of the Netherlands (61.300).
