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English clubs may lose fourth Champions League spot
The Premier League is in danger of losing a fourth Champions League spot in the 2017-18 season if poor European performances continue this season.
English teams have not reached the Champions League quarter-finals in two of the past three seasons.
New co-efficient rankings, calculated over a five-year period, show England are third, behind Spain and Germany.
Italy are fourth, four points behind England. The top three ranked countries receive four Champions League places.
Performances in both Uefa competitions – Champions League and Europa League – are taken into consideration for the rankings with more points awarded in the elite competition (see tables at bottom of this page).
Points are awarded for qualifying for the group stages and then for each knockout round negotiated.
Four English teams have qualified for the group stages of this season’s Champions League, against just two from Italy, thus earning more bonus points.
However, if last season’s results were repeated – Juventus reached the Champions League final with Napoli and Fiorentina reaching the Europa league semi-finals – then Italy would jump ahead of England.
There are two English teams in the Europa League and three from Italy.
The 2017-18 season will be the first where the 2010-11 season drops out of the reckoning.
That season saw Manchester United reach the Champions League final, where they were beaten by Barcelona at Wembley, while Tottenham and Chelsea made the quarter-finals.
How the points are calculated
Champions League |
|---|
| First qualifying round elimination – 0.5 points |
| Second qualifying round elimination – 1 point |
| Group stage participation – 4 points |
| Group stage win – 2 points |
| Group stage draw – 1 point |
| Round of 16 participation – 4 points |
| Clubs are awarded an additional point if they reach the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals or final. |
Europa League |
|---|
| First qualifying round elimination – 0.25 points |
| Second qualifying round elimination – 0.5 points |
| Third qualifying round elimination – 1 point |
| Play-off elimination – 1.5 points |
| Group stage win – 2 points |
| Group stage draw – 1 point |
| Clubs are guaranteed a minimum of two points if they reach the group stage and are awarded an additional point if they get to the quarter-finals, semi-finals or final. |
Current Uefa coefficient standings |
||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011-12 | 2012-13 | 2013-14 | 2014-15 | 2015-16 | Total | |
| Spain | 20.857 | 17.714 | 23.000 | 14.642 | 4.642 | 86.427 |
| Germany | 15.250 | 17.928 | 14.714 | 13.857 | 4.428 | 68.177 |
| England | 15.250 | 16.428 | 16.785 | 12.857 | 3.625 | 65.659 |
| Italy | 11.357 | 14.416 | 14.166 | 19.000 | 2.666 | 61.605 |
English teams in the Champions League
The last English team to reach the Champions League final was Chelsea in 2012
BBC Sport