As you all no doubt know, the two domestic leagues in European competitions this (2025/26) season, whose clubs have the collective best average coefficient scores, get an extra place in next season’s (2026/27) Champions League.
The coefficient points gained by all clubs this 2025/26 season are added together and that total score is divided by the number of clubs a country has in Europe in the season. That gives the coefficient average.
These two bonus Champions League places came about after the switch to an expanded 36 Swiss League opening stage, rather than the eight groups of four that had been the established format.
(If this had been operating previously, then five of the six seasons before 2023/24 saw England one of the top two countries overall, in European competitions.)
The clubs of the Bundesliga and Serie A were the two best performing leagues in the 2023/24 European competitions, which meant Bologna and Borussia Dortmund were the two clubs that got the bonus spots in the 2024/25 Champions League.
Then in the 2024/25 European competitions, it was the clubs of the Premier League and La Liga that were the two best performing leagues, so Newcastle United and Athletic Club got the bonus spots in the 2025/26 Champions League.
So then, have this week’s Champions League results lost Premier League a bonus 5th spot next season?
This though is what Football365 have reported after those Champions League midweek results: ‘It still appears all but certain the Premier League will gain five places in next season’s Champions League despite their six teams all failing to win the first legs of their last-16 clashes this week.’
Chelsea, Tottenham and Man City were all hammered this midweek, the trio all losing by three goal margins and looking all but guaranteed to be eliminated now.
Liverpool lost to Galatasaray, Arsenal lucky to get a draw thanks to to a ridiculous late penalty against Bayer Leverkusen, whilst Newcastle very unlucky to only draw with Barcelona, a very late penalty.
With Football365 going on to explain: ‘Almost guaranteed one of the bonus spots despite looking sure to lose a large chunk of their Champions League teams in the last 16. To put England’s position in perspective, they already have a significantly higher score than the final total for last year’s third-placed country Italy (21.875). With English teams securing five of the eight automatic spots in the last 16 of the Champions League via first, third, fourth, sixth and eighth-place finishes, England pocketed a huge haul of final-position bonus points to further extend their lead here. Even play-off-bound Newcastle added plenty more points to the kitty for finishing 12th and chucked in yet more points for winning home and away against Qarabag.’
The bottom line is that the Swiss League results have put the Premier League in such a dominant position, it means it is all but impossible for a fifth bonus Champions League spot not to go to an English club.
Forest, Palace and Villa all reached the last 16 of their respective competitions as well. They had mixed results last night (Villa won, Palace drew, Forest lost) but that won’t negatively impact the situation either.
Chelsea are currently the Premier League team that would benefit from that fifth spot. A win for Newcastle United on Saturday though would see NUFC close to within six points of them.