Can England Get the Extra 5th Spot in the Coming Champions League?

The UEFA Champions League is the biggest club tournament in Europe, featuring the best teams from European leagues. With the league expanding from 32 to 36 teams in the coming season, four new spots opened up. England is one of the teams that many thought could get an extra spot in the tournament. 

Currently, the English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga, and France’s Ligue 1 contribute four team each. However, with both Manchester City and Arsenal knocked out at the quarter finals of the current championship, and Liverpool and West Ham suffering the same fate in the Europe League, England might miss out on the opportunity to get one more team in the coming UEFA Champions League season. Here’s more:

UEFA Expanding to 36 Teams

The Champions League will feature 36 teams instead of the previous 32. This expansion marks the league’s biggest change and is set to transform the traditional format featuring group stages into a single league phase with all participants. Every team in the new format will be guaranteed eight matches against eight opponents. Four games will be at home and the other four on away grounds. 

In the current setup, teams play six matches against three opponents (three at home and three away), with two matches against each opponent. The two top teams from each group qualify to the knockout rounds. In the new format, eight of the best outfits will get automatic qualification for the knockout stages. Teams that finish ninth to 24th will then battle each other in a two-legged playoff, where eight more teams will emerge to join the last 16 knockouts. Teams that finish in the 25th to 36th position will be eliminated from the tournament.

The new format presents a new challenge for teams and more excitement for fans and punters. With more games, punters can expect more betting opportunities on leading sportsbooks, such as FanDuel sportsbook. For instance, gamers will be able to place futures for who might qualify for the knockout automatically, make it to the playoffs, and qualify for knockouts through the playoffs. Gameday markets and props will also be available, in addition to new betting bonuses.

How European Places are Decided

Qualifications for the Champions League will maintain the traditional format, albeit with a few changes. The top European leagues (England, Spain, Germany, and Italy) will still contribute four teams each. In England, Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool, and Aston Villa occupy the positions for automatic qualification without any playoffs needed. 

The fifth position, currently occupied by Tottenham, will qualify for the Europa League group stage. The sixth position, currently occupied by Manchester United, also qualifies for the Europa League. However, this position is sometimes available to the team that wins the FA Cup. As things stand, the final for the FA Cup will be between Manchester United and Manchester City. If Newcastle overtakes Manchester United for the sixth position, and United win the FA Cup, Newcastle will lose their Europa League spot. 

The seventh position usually qualifies for the UEFA Conference League or the team that won the Carabao Cup. Since Liverpool (Carabao Cup winners) is in line to get automatic Champions League positions, the spot will be given to either Newcastle or United, depending on the final league positions and the results of the FA Cup finals. 

Can England Get the Extra Champions League Spot?

Everything is decided by the coefficient rankings, which relate to how team perform in the current UEFA competitions (Champions League, Europa League and Conference League). A win for each team is worth two points, while a draw is worth 1 point. Bonus points are also given based on the stages teams reach in the tournaments. Currently, Italy have secured an extra spot and Germany are second. 

England needs Aston Villa to win the Conference League and the two German teams in Champions league to lose their matches to overtake them on the table. Only two teams with the highest coefficient rankings get extra spots. Changes are also happening in the Europa League and UEFA Conference League. The Europa League will feature 36 teams instead of 32 and use the same format as the Champions League. Meanwhile, the Conference League will have teams playing six matches against six different opponents. 

Key Takeaways on EPL’s Chances of Gaining the Extra Spot

England sits third in the coefficient rankings table behind Germany and Italy. With Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and West Ham all eliminated from the UEFA competitions, there’s little chance the table will shift.

The two German teams Bayern and Dortmund only need a win and a draw to secure their second spot and get five teams to next year’s champion’s league. England also needs Aston Villa to win the Conference League even if the German’s don’t perform.