Premier League earns fifth UEFA Champions League place after Arsenal's victory over Real Madrid – UEFA coefficient latest
Updated 09/04/2025 at 10:06 GMT+1
The UEFA Champions League's new league phase has been followed by some dramatic knockout matches up to the quarter-finals. Will the Premier League get an extra Champions League place next season? And is there even a chance of a sixth spot? Things are looking good for the Premier League after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final at the Emirates Stadium.
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The Premier League will have at least five teams in next season's Champions League, after England secured one of two spots reserved for Europe's best-performing nations.
The two leagues in Europe with the best average coefficient scores at the end of the season, based on how their nation's clubs perform in UEFA competitions, will secure an extra spot in the 2025/26 Champions League.
Now, after Arsenal's 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the UEFA Champions League quarter-final first leg, the Premier League are guaranteed a top-two finish in the coefficient rankings, and as such, will have a fifth qualification spot next season.
And, if all goes to plan, they could even gain another.
Upon the conclusion of UEFA's first ever league phase all seven Premier League sides involved in European competitions made it through to the knockout stages.
In the UEFA Champions League, Liverpool made light work of the new league format, sealing first place by two points despite a strong showing from La Liga giants Barcelona, but they were defeated by Paris Saint-Germain at the first knockout hurdle.
The Gunners were not far behind, finishing in third, while Aston Villa progressed automatically to the last 16 after scraping into the top eight during the final round of league phase fixtures.
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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 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 receive 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 of course 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?
England, who are currently in top spot in the coefficient rankings ahead of Spain, have already secured an extra Champions League place for next term.
England has five of seven clubs still in Europe, with Aston Villa and Arsenal both in the Champions League quarter-finals mix and only Liverpool and Manchester City having being knocked out so far of any European competition.
Manchester United and Tottenham are both competing in the Europa League quarter-finals, while Chelsea are heavy favourites to win the Conference League.
Top 5 season coefficient rankings - 2024/25 season
| Country | Clubs | Points | Average |
| England | 5/7 | 171.750 | 24.535 |
| Spain | 4/7 | 151.750 | 21.678 |
| Italy | 3/8 | 161.500 | 20.187 |
| Germany | 3/8 | 143.375 | 17.921 |
| Portugal | 5 | 81.250 | 16.250 |
Italy had long been the only team capable of knocking England out of the top two in the coefficient rankings for 2024/25, with Serie A having a representative remaining in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
However, Arsenal's 3-0 quarter final first-leg win over Real Madrid on Tuesday night means that even if Internazionale, Lazio and Fiorentina were to win their respective tournaments, it will not be enough to overturn England's advantage.
Who could benefit from the fifth Champions League place?
Newcastle United are currently in fifth place in the Premier League table, a point and a place ahead of reigning champions Manchester City.
Indeed, Pep Guardiola's men are in sixth, one point ahead of Unai Emery's Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa.
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If Chelsea win the Conference League, they do not qualify automatically for the Champions League. Instead, they qualify for the Europa League.
A fifth Champions League spot for the Premier League means the positions that qualify for the Europa League and Conference League will also move down the table by one place. Hence, sixth place will qualify for the Europa League, and seventh will enter the Conference League.
Could the Premier League get six places?
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.
Unlike in previous seasons, there is now no cap on how many teams from one league can qualify for the Champions League.
So with the Premier League having already secured five places for next season, should United or Spurs win the Europa League but finish outside the top five, they would also qualify for the Champions League.
That would give the Premier League six sides in the competition.
There could even be seven teams if the winners of the Champions League and Europa League both finish outside the top five.
If the Premier League club that wins the Champions League or Europa League also finishes in the top five, then their qualification spot will not drop to another team in the Premier League.
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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.
City are currently second in the club rankings, behind Champions League holders Real.
However, the Manchester side 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 | 110.267 |
| Italy | 95.543 |
| Spain | 92.239 |
| Germany | 85.831 |
| France | 71.379 |
Top 5 club coefficient rankings - Last five seasons
| Club | Points |
| Real Madrid | 143.500 |
| Man City | 137.750 |
| Bayern Munich | 134.250 |
| Liverpool | 125.500 |
| Inter | 109.250 |
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