Race for fifth Champions League spot in 2026/27: updated UEFA ranking | OneFootball

With the start of the 2025/26 Champions League and Europa League, the race for the so-called "fifth place" for the 2026/27 season officially begins, awarded based on the UEFA seasonal ranking.

Race for the fifth place in the 2026/27 Champions League: the updated UEFA ranking

This mechanism rewards nations that achieve the best results in European competitions, including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.

The revolution of the Champions League format

From this season, the Champions League presents itself in a new format: the tournament will feature 36 teams, with a single group where each club will face eight different opponents, divided into four tiers. This reform has made the UEFA seasonal ranking even more important to secure an extra spot in the top European competition.

How points are calculated

Each team earns points based on the results achieved: wins, draws, and advancing through knockout stages. Additionally, from this year, points are also awarded based on the final position in the single ranking of the three UEFA club competitions.

The maximum allocations for each tournament are:

Champions League: 29.5 points

Europa League: 23 points

Conference League: 20.5 points

The final score of each federation is calculated by summing the points of all participating clubs and dividing by the number of teams involved. This system also rewards teams that reach advanced stages, like Fiorentina in the Conference League, whose progress after the preliminary round already contributes to Italy's points.

Italy and the challenge of the fifth place

Serie A fields seven teams in UEFA competitions, aiming to replicate the success of two seasons ago, when Bologna, fifth in the league, managed to qualify directly for the single group of the Champions League thanks to the seasonal ranking.

Updated UEFA ranking after the first matchday Country Points Notes Denmark 6.125 extra spot in Champions Portugal 6.000 extra spot in Champions Cyprus 5.750 England 5.388 Belgium 5.300 Germany 5.000 Poland 4.875 Spain 4.625 Italy 4.428 Azerbaijan 4.375

The ranking highlights the fierce competition among nations to secure the fifth place, crucial for allowing the fifth-placed team from the most competitive leagues to enter directly into the Champions League.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇮🇹 here.