UEFA ranking, Italy only eighth: fifth Champions League spot slipping away | OneFootball

This was supposed to be the season that confirmed Italian football’s resurgence in Europe, but after just three matchdays in the continental competitions, the outlook is anything but encouraging.

UEFA Ranking, Italy only eighth: the dream of a fifth Champions League spot drifts away

The new UEFA format, which awards an extra spot in the 2026/27 Champions League to the top two nations in the seasonal Ranking, already seems like an unattainable goal for Serie A.

With only 6.857 points, Italy currently occupies eighth place in the UEFA seasonal coefficient ranking, slipping behind countries like Cyprus and Denmark — a figure that starkly highlights the overall poor performance of Italian clubs in European competitions.

The causes of the decline: few successes, too many disappointments

The numbers speak for themselves. In the latest round of European matches, Italian teams collected only three victories (Inter in the Champions League, Bologna in the Europa League, Fiorentina in the Conference League), one draw (Atalanta), and three defeats (Napoli, Juventus, and Roma).

This average is far too low to stay among the leaders of the UEFA Ranking, where England and Portugal continue to show solidity and consistency in their performances, ahead of an Italy unable to maintain continuity in results.

“It’s not a matter of talent, but of collective mentality,” commented a UEFA analyst. “Italian teams need to learn to approach European competitions with the same intensity they show in the league.”

Who would get the fifth Champions League slot today

If the season ended today, England and Portugal would be the two federations to benefit from the extra Champions League spot. Spain and Germany, slightly behind, are still in the running, while Italy needs to make up more than a point to get back into the top two.

A gap that, while theoretically bridgeable, requires an immediate turnaround and consistently positive results in all three European competitions. Every draw or defeat weighs heavily, and every victory becomes crucial in the calculation of UEFA coefficients.

Objective relaunch: results and consistency needed

To become competitive again, Serie A will have to step up already in the next European fixtures. Every club, from the Champions League to the Conference League, is called upon to contribute with victories and progress to the next rounds that can breathe new life into Italy’s Ranking.

As an FIGC executive pointed out: “Italian football must understand that the Ranking is not just a statistic, but a fundamental economic and technical indicator. Every point earned in Europe means growth, prestige, and future opportunities for the entire system.”

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