Sporting may reach Champions League 26/27 without third title: how | OneFootball

In European week, Sporting shifts focus to the trip to Athletic Bilbao's ground, scheduled for Wednesday at 8:00 PM, in a match where the lions will try to secure direct qualification for the Champions League round of 16. Currently in 10th place, with 13 points, Rui Borges' team seeks to finish the league phase in the top-8, a goal that the coach has emphasized internally, also having a direct impact on the club's points in the UEFA ranking.

Throughout the 2025/26 campaign in the millionaire competition, Sporting has accumulated four wins, one draw, and two losses, a path that has allowed them to gain ground in the European coefficient. And the effect of this journey is already beginning to project beyond the current season, as there is, at this moment, the possibility for the Alvalade emblem to secure direct access to the Champions League league phase in 2026/27, even if they do not win the national title.

Practically speaking, and contrary to what has been usual, the second-placed team in the Portuguese League in 2025/26 may secure direct entry into the main European club competition. Under normal conditions, this position would require playing a third qualifying round and then a playoff. However, the scenario may change depending on the UEFA ranking.

At the moment, with seven of the eight European competition rounds already played, Sporting appears with 73,500 points in the club ranking, having surpassed Club Brugge (71,500), PSV Eindhoven (71,250), and Feyenoord (71,000), only trailing Benfica (87,750). This position fuels the hope of a direct path to the Champions League if they finish the championship in second place.

The mechanism is as follows: if the Europa League winner in 2025/26 finishes the season in their respective national championship in a Champions League qualifying spot, the extra direct access spot to the league phase is awarded to the highest-ranked club in the UEFA ranking among those who would initially play the qualifiers. Thus, for example, if Aston Villa, currently in third place in the Premier League, wins the second European competition and Sporting finishes second in Portugal maintaining this ranking position, the lions could enter directly into the Champions League league phase the following season.

In summary, if the Europa League winner belongs to one of the main European leagues and finishes the season in a Champions League access spot, the direct spot passes to the highest-ranked club among the others. This scenario keeps Sporting attentive, even currently in the position of vice-leader of the Portuguese League Betclic, although everything still depends on multiple factors and how the second half of the season evolves in European football.

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