This page contains affiliate links. When you purchase through the links provided, we may earn a commission.
Haaland Kane Scamacca UCL extra place GFX Getty

UEFA country coefficient: How Serie A and the Bundesliga beat the Premier League to an extra Champions League place

The Champions League will be expanded next season, meaning more teams and more games. Indeed, there will be four additional clubs in the group stage, as the number of participants rises from 32 to 36.

One of the additional places will go to the team that finishes third in the domestic league sitting fifth in UEFA's league coefficient rankings (France's Ligue 1 in this case), which are based on results over five seasons up until the end of the 2022-23 campaign, while another will be taken by a domestic champion, with the number of teams qualifying via the 'champions path' set to increase from four to five.

However, the new 'European Performance Spots' will be awarded to the two leagues with the best results from the previous season's UEFA club competitions, with two coefficient points awarded for every win, and one for a draw.

And while the three tournaments have not yet been completed, we already know which nations will have five teams in next season's Champions League: Italy and Germany, with England having been dramatically let down by its top teams...

Previous update: May 3

  • Jordan Henderson Ajax 2023-24Getty Images

    10Eredivisie (Netherlands): 10.000 pts. avg. (0/5 teams left)

    Wipeout for the Eredivisie!

    PSV did well to reach the last 16 of the Champions League but were left with a lot of regrets over their failure to take Borussia Dortmund to extra time at Signal Iduna Park, with Luuk de Jong missing a glorious chance at the tail end of the second leg in Germany. Feyenoord put themselves in a strong position to get out of their group but ended up finishing third and were then immediately dumped out of the Europa League by Roma.

    In the Conference League, AZ were eliminated at the group stage, while Twente didn't even make it that far, crushed by Fenerbahce in the play-off round.

    As for Ajax, they dropped down to the Conference League after a dismal Europa League group stage and saw off Bodo/Glimt in the knockout round play-offs. But the four-time champions of Europe were then routed by Aston Villa, thus ending Eredivisie interest in Europe in February.

  • Advertisement
  • Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang Marseille Benfica Europa League 18042024Getty

    9Primeira Liga (Portugal): 11.000 (0/6)

    There will be no extra UCL spot for Portugal next season.

    Losing both Arouca and Vitoria de Guimaraes in the qualifying rounds of the Conference League was a serious setback for Portugal - as was Braga being upset by Qarabag in the Europa League knockout round play-offs.

    Porto were immense in both legs of their Champions League last-16 tie with Arsenal but were unluckily eliminated on penalties.

    In the Europa League, Sporting CP will have some serious regrets. They went a goal up in both legs of their last-16 showdown with Atalanta but ended up losing 3-2 on aggregate. Benfica managed to make it to the quarter-finals but suffered the agony of losing on penalties to Marseille at the Velodrome, meaning not a single semi-final appearance for Portuguese clubs across UEFA's three cup competitions.

  • Dusan Tadic of FenerbahceGetty Images

    8Super Lig (Turkey): 12.000 (0/4)

    Despite the best efforts of Fenerbahce, a disastrous continental campaign for Turkey, with three of their four representatives eliminated before March.

    Galatasaray were beaten to second spot in their Champions League group by Copenhagen before then being hammered by Sparta Prague in the second leg of their Europa League knockout round play-off. Adana, meanwhile, were knocked out in the Conference League play-off round on penalties by Genk, while a desperately disappointing Besiktas picked up just four points during the group stage.

    Fenerbahce lost just one game in reaching the quarter-finals but were left heartbroken after losing on penalties to Olympiacos in front of their own fans in Istanbul.

  • SLAVIA PRAGA ROMAGetty Images

    7Czech First League (Czech Republic): 13.500 (0/4)

    It didn't look like the Czechs were going to have such a surprisingly successful season after Bohemians were thrashed by Bodo/Glimt in the second qualifying round of the Conference League, and Sparta Prague failed to make the group stages of the Champions League.

    However, Sparta subsequently pipped Real Betis to second place in their Europa League group and then shocked Galatasaray to set up a mouth-watering last-16 tie with Liverpool. It didn't go well, of course, but Brian Priske's side did themselves proud overall.

    Slavia Prague also drew a heavyweight (AC Milan) after topping a group containing Roma to progress as one of the seeded sides, but they completely shot themselves in the foot by getting a man sent off in both legs against the Rossoneri.

    However, after winning all six of their group games, Viktoria Plzen made it all the way to the quarter-finals, where they faced Fiorentina. They took the Italians to extra time in the second leg at the Artemio Franchi but eventually succumbed to a 2-0 defeat. Still, their remarkable run did wonders for the Czechs' overall country coefficient.

  • Royal Antwerp Barcelona Getty

    6Belgian Pro League (Belgium): 14.400 (0/5)

    A mixed bag for the Belgian contingent.

    Genk were eliminated in the qualifying rounds of both the Champions League and the Europa League, while Antwerp finished bottom of their UCL Group.

    Gent fell in the knockout play-off round of the Conference League, losing 2-1 on aggregate to Maccabi Tel Aviv, and although Union Saint-Gilloise, who had finished third in their Europa League group, stunned Eintracht Frankfurt to reach the last 16, USG were knocked out by Fenerbahce.

    That left Club Brugge, who recovered from a 2-1 defeat in Norway to progress to the quarter-finals of the Conference at the expense of Molde, before then beating PAOK in both legs to qualify for the last four.

    However, the Belgians suffered a heartbreaking 4-3 aggregate loss to Fiorentina in which they conceded late goals in both legs. Still, Brugge did themselves and their nation proud.

  • Joselu Real Madrid Bayern Munchen 08052024Getty Images

    5La Liga (Spain): 15.812 (1/8)

    La Liga was effectively out of the running for one of the European Performance Sports after three early eliminations. Sevilla finished bottom of their UCL group without winning a single game, Betis were upset by Dinamo Zagreb in the knockout play-off round of the Conference League, while Osasuna fell in the qualifiers all the way back in August.

    After doing wonderfully well to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, Real Sociedad couldn't cope with Kylian Mbappe, while Barcelona suffered a costly capitulation at home to the same side in the quarter-finals. Atletico Madrid went out on the same night as the Blaugrana after they, too, collapsed at Signal Iduna Park against Borussia Dortmund.

    As for Villarreal, they fought gamely to turn around their EuropaLeague quarter-final against Marseille but were left with far too much to do after a 4-0 drubbing at the Velodrome.

    And so, almost inevitably, it is Real Madrid, the European Cup kings, who are the last Spanish side standing, with Carlo Ancelotti's men having qualified for yet another final with yet another dramatic comeback in the second leg of their heavyweight clash with Bayern Munich.

    However, even if los Blancos win at Wembley on June 1, it won't be enough to propel fifth-placed Spain into the top two.

  • Kylian Mbappe PSG 2023-24Getty Images

    4Ligue 1 (France): 16.250 (0/6)

    An impressive recovery by the French, who were reeling after seeing Lens, Rennes and Toulouse all get eliminated in the Europa League knockout round play-offs. The subsequent loss of Lille in the quarter-finals of the Conference League was a serious setback, and a tough one to take, too, given they'd been the better side in their clash with Aston Villa, which was decided on penalties.

    However, France still end up with two semi-finalists.

    Marseille may have ultimately been overwhelmed by Atalanta in the last four of the Europa League but they did well to make it that far, beating the likes of Benfica, Villarreal and Shakhtar Donetsk along the way.

    Paris Saint-Germain, though, will be left with some serious regrets after being upset by Borussia Dortmund in the semi-finals of the Champions League. Kylian Mbappe & Co. were expected to progress after beating Barca in the last eight but they ended up losing both legs of their semi-final.

    Still, France's clubs had already done enough to secure an extra Champions League spot via the country coefficient, meaning there will be three Ligue 1 clubs in next season's competition, which is unbelievable news for surprise package Brest, who currently sit third in the table.

  • Pep Guardiola Manchester City 2023-24Getty Images

    3Premier League (England): 17.375 (0/8)

    Few saw England's collapse coming, even after both Newcastle United and Manchester United finished bottom of their Champions League groups, meaning no Europa League consolation for either.

    Indeed, it was still thought Brighton, West Ham and Liverpool would do some serious damage in the Europa League (particularly the latter). However, Brighton were routed by Roma in the last 16, while both West Ham and Liverpool fell in the quarter-finals, with the Reds capitulating at home to Atalanta.

    Incredibly, not a single English side made it past the last eight of the Champions League either, with Arsenal coming up short against a Bayern Munich side in turmoil under Thomas Tuchel, and Manchester City failing to find a way past a Real Madrid team that was there for the taking.

    As a result, Unai Emery's fantastic Aston Villa were the only Premier League team left when the semi-finals rolled around but even they were surprisingly routed 6-2 on aggregate by Olympiacos.

    Of course, given their lack of experience and depth, Villa still went out with their heads held high - unlike many of their compatriots, who contributed to an utterly humiliating European campaign for the richest league in world football, which had no teams in the last four of either the Europa League of the Champions League for the first time in nine years.

  • Niclas Fullkrug Borussia Dortmund 2024Getty Images

    2Bundesliga (Germany): 19.357 (2/7)

    Germany sat second in the rankings ahead of the quarter-finals of the three UEFA tournaments but it only looked like a matter of time before they were overtaken by England. The Bundesliga had already been hit hard by Union Berlin failing to win a single game in the group stage of the Champions League and Eintracht Frankfurt falling to USG in the Conference knockout round play-offs.

    So, the last thing they needed was to lose two more teams, with RB Leipzig getting knocked out of the last 16 of the UCL despite dominating their tie with Real Madrid, and Freiburg losing a vital Germany vs England clash with West Ham.

    However, the brilliant Bayer Leverkusen are now on their way to Dublin after preserving their historic unbeaten record during a 4-2 aggregate win over Roma in the Europa League semi-finals. And while there will be no repeat of the 2013 Champions League final, with Bayern Munich having been unluckily eliminated by Real Madrid, old rivals Borussia Dortmund are on their way to Wembley to face Real Madrid after stunning PSG.

    It might be asking a lot for both Bundesliga sides to triumph but, in terms of securing an extra UCL slot for Germany for next season, their work is already done. They've already put the Premier League in the shade!

  • Atalanta Marsiglia Europa LeagueGetty

    1Serie A (Italy): 20.714 (2/7)

    Another sensational season for Serie A, made all the more remarkable for the fact that Italian clubs experienced little but disappointment in the Champions League. AC Milan failed to get out of the 'group of death', while Napoli,Inter and Lazio were all knocked out in the round of 16. However, Milan dropping down to the Europa League actually proved a blessing in disguise for Serie A, as it allowed the Rossoneri to pick up some more precious points before bowing out to Roma in the quarter-finals.

    Of course, the Giallorossi's hopes of reaching a second consecutive tournament decider were ended by Bayer Leverkusen, but Atalanta are into their first ever European final after sweeping Marseille aside in the second leg of their last-four tie.

    Fiorentina have also kept the Italian flag flying in the Conference League and, after battling past Club Brugge, will now hope to go one better than last season by lifting the trophy when they face surprise package Olympiacos in Athens on May 29.

    No matter what happens now, though, Italy is already assured of an extra place in next season's Champions League thanks to all seven of their representatives remaining in Europe until after Christmas.