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Champions League fifth place: Premier League’s hopes of extra spot all but over

By Simon StoneBBC Sport chief football news reporter

Last updated on .From the section European Footballcomments319

Arsenal players look dejected while Bayern Munich celebrate
Bayern Munich beat Arsenal 3-2 on aggregate to reach the Champions League semi-finals

England's hopes of securing a fifth Champions League spot are all but over.

With Italy clear at the top of Uefa's coefficient rankings, the second of the two available spots has been a battle between Germany and England.

Exits for four of the five remaining English clubs in European competitions this week contrasts with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich making the Champions League semi-finals and Bayer Leverkusen reaching the last four of the Europa League.

How the co-efficient rankings stand at the moment

CountryCo-efficient pointsClubs left in Europe
Italy19.428Atalanta, Roma, Fiorentina
Germany17.928Bayern Munich, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund
England17.375Aston Villa
France16.083PSG
Spain15.312Real Madrid

England do still have a slim outside chance of securing the fifth Champions League spot next season but it would now take an unlikely sequence of results.

If Aston Villa won both legs of their Europa Conference semi-final against Olympiakos and then the final, and the three German teams who have reached the semi-finals of European competition this season all lost both legs and were eliminated, England would get the fifth spot.

Results this week confirmed that Italy will get an extra Champions League place next season.

Indeed, both Italy and Germany could have six teams in next season's competition, if Serie A side Atalanta won the Europa League and Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund won the Champions League despite finishing outside the top four of their domestic leagues.

How are the extra places decided?

Two extra places will go to the best performing leagues in Europe this season - and this will happen each season.

England getting one of those places would mean the team finishing fifth in the Premier League qualified automatically for the Champions League.

Uefa's association coefficient rankings are based on the results of all European clubs across the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

Every win by a club from a nation is worth two points and a draw one.

Bonus points are then accrued by progressing through various stages of each competition.

All points earned by clubs from each country are added up before being divided by the number of teams from that nation in Europe at the start of the campaign - eight in the Premier League's case.

In six of the past seven seasons, England would have qualified for that extra 'most successful' spot but the Champions League group-stage exits of Newcastle and Manchester United in December left the Premier League playing catch-up to Germany and Italy.

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319 comments

  • Comment posted by Stephen Abootman, at 01:19 18 Apr

    "It puts more pressure on West Ham in particular to overturn their two-goal deficit against Bayer Leverkusen"

    I'll be honest, I don't think Moyes is going to be yelling at the players to think of the coefficient in his team talk.

    • Reply posted by Shed_66, at 04:32 18 Apr

      Shed_66 replied:
      Brilliant!

  • Comment posted by Tony Morleys Magic Wand, at 01:34 18 Apr

    Having a quarter of one league in the most prestigious Europe wide contest is ridiculous, whichever country it applies to.

    • Reply posted by Bilbo, at 07:30 18 Apr

      Bilbo replied:
      Agreed, kinda glad we will probably lose out, especially now my team Wolves look like we won’t make the euro places come what May

  • Comment posted by wcsadq2z, at 03:56 18 Apr

    This competition is slowly being watered down solely so they can make more money from more matches being played. These extra clubs won’t have a cat in hells chance of winning it, but that doesn’t matter because FIFA want as much cash as possible from the TV rights. 5th place qualifies you for a competition called the champions league? What a joke.

    • Reply posted by Shed_66, at 04:28 18 Apr

      Shed_66 replied:
      liverpool and chelsea both won it despite finishing 5th in the league

  • Comment posted by Jerapah, at 04:36 18 Apr

    Good. 5th place entry into the CHAMPIONS league is a farce.

    • Reply posted by The Spin Doctor, at 05:33 18 Apr

      The Spin Doctor replied:
      Agree, 4 teams is already more than enough.
      Will make the fight between Villa and Spurs even more important.

  • Comment posted by Tekka, at 03:18 18 Apr

    The European Cup was a great competition but don’t care about the Champions League. Too many teams and most are not champions. It’s just a money-maker. Give me domestic league football over CL every time.

    • Reply posted by Shed_66, at 04:30 18 Apr

      Shed_66 replied:
      Championship football is the best domestic league football IMHO.
      Good footy, humble (and real) fans, and no VAR

  • Comment posted by MFH07, at 00:05 18 Apr

    Give Man City a ban then we’ll all be happy.

    • Reply posted by brokenbrain, at 00:34 18 Apr

      brokenbrain replied:
      They'll just get it overturned with a few brown envelopes again

  • Comment posted by JetCelt6967, at 00:05 18 Apr

    Brilliant, there shouldn't be five places to any of the big leagues.

    • Reply posted by Mark D, at 00:42 18 Apr

      Mark D replied:
      Exactly 👍

  • Comment posted by martin, at 06:21 18 Apr

    There should be no 5th place spot in the CL for ANY league, it's already a farce having 4.
    But in coming years I can guarantee the so called big club's will push for 6 places

    • Reply posted by Cubabit, at 06:37 18 Apr

      Cubabit replied:
      I agree. When I first heard that England might get an extra place my thoughts were it is ridiculous a QUARTER of the teams in the Premier League would automatically get into the Champions League. Talk about devaluing it…

  • Comment posted by Mr Facts, at 01:27 18 Apr

    Good. Spurs and man u don't deserve it 😂

    • Reply posted by dgk, at 04:01 18 Apr

      dgk replied:
      I’m a spurs fan and even I agree!!

  • Comment posted by cpaulc, at 06:37 18 Apr

    I'm a Spurs supporter, so my club would have gained. I don't believe their should be even a third placed entry. It used to be called the European Cup and was limited to champions, now its called the Champions league and is full of also rans. All in the name of more money for UEFA

    • Reply posted by Antisthenes, at 07:00 18 Apr

      Antisthenes replied:
      Yep, the cost of everything but the value of nothing - that's UEFA

  • Comment posted by DarrenFarr, at 23:43 17 Apr

    That’s Numberwang

    • Reply posted by Forza Italia, at 03:43 18 Apr

      Forza Italia replied:
      What baffles me is that it was only a few days ago that a Manchester City player was desperate for a rest and Pep was saying "yes, of course". So why should more teams be trying for a fifth spot European place, exhausting all their players?

  • Comment posted by be77yadb, at 00:51 18 Apr

    CL Semi finalists
    Germany = 2
    Spain = 1
    England = 0
    I love that our fans atill call German and French leagues farmer's leagues. Should Man City win the league this year it'll be 4 in a row. That's literally farmer leagie levels Guv

    • Reply posted by IDW, at 06:49 18 Apr

      IDW replied:
      I think you need to understand the definition of farmers league! No one doubts that teams like PSG, Bayern and Dortmund are great teams but it's the un-competitiveness of the league that brings it down.

      It's always the same teams at the top with the odd exception (lille, leverkusen etc). England may have City as dominant now but in the past we've had Arsenal, United, Chelsea and Liverpool.

  • Comment posted by steve, at 02:26 18 Apr

    GOOOOD, there shouldnt be five anyway, not even four, only for the tv people, give a CHAMPION from another league the other places

    • Reply posted by Matt, at 08:23 18 Apr

      Matt replied:
      Great Idea! Let’s have the champions of Montenegro instead of Villa or Spurs. Great for the competition.

  • Comment posted by DanTheStripe, at 00:05 18 Apr

    Hopefully this turns what was looking like a rather settled Villa/Spurs 4th/5th double qualification into an epic race for that 4th and last spot!

    • Reply posted by gary78, at 00:48 18 Apr

      gary78 replied:
      And means the 3 spud games against the top 3 should be ultra competitive now knowing they have to win. Though no doubt they will revert to being spursy when the big games come......

  • Comment posted by Fiji, at 01:46 18 Apr

    It’s not Champions league since the days of European cup
    4th place is already Mickey Mouse
    Remember in other sport rewards stop after bronze

    • Reply posted by Northerner, at 02:17 18 Apr

      Northerner replied:
      It should be called the European Cup now, it was a Champions League / Cup back in the first few years of it and in the old days when it was a straight knockout cup.

  • Comment posted by TheNightmanCometh, at 00:25 18 Apr

    It was interesting to note Italy are clear at the top, despite none of their teams getting past the last 16 this year. Funny how it can shift from season to season.

    • Reply posted by Llion, at 04:16 18 Apr

      Llion replied:
      Not really, remember Newcastle finished last in group stage, 3 Italian sides made it through to knockout Champions and Milan qualified to Europa , Italy looking like having at least 2 teams in semis of Europa & Conference comp, probably 3 with if Fiorantina make it through too.

  • Comment posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 01:19 18 Apr

    Five Champions League places is too many

  • Comment posted by Flintoff, at 00:17 18 Apr

    there are far too many european games already

    • Reply posted by Auld, at 00:35 18 Apr

      Auld replied:
      Agreed - should be maximum 16 in group stage - too much crap gets in every year

  • Comment posted by liverpool supporter right here, at 01:23 18 Apr

    Lets all end this talk of Farmers Leagues and just enjoy football guys

  • Comment posted by 115 cheats, at 05:29 18 Apr

    Farmers league teams will be in the semis of the CL and europa. Arrogance from English fans. English teams not the strongest is a fact. Humble pie.

    • Reply posted by IDW, at 06:54 18 Apr

      IDW replied:
      The dominant teams from those farmers leagues though. They are great teams but the overall un-competitiveness of the league is why people define it as a so called farmers league.

      The premier league is cyclical when it comes to teams dominating/competing at the top.

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