The chances of Serie A gaining an extra qualification spot for next season’s Champions League are already looking slim, as Italy currently rank in ninth place in the UEFA rankings after the latest round of European fixtures earlier this week.
How are the extra Champions League spots decided?
Italy, along with England, Spain and Germany, are among the nations whose leagues are guaranteed four places in the Champions League, but there is also a chance of a fifth being added.
Two nations are awarded an extra Champions League spot each, known as the European Performance Spot, which went to England and Spain for the 2025-26 and 2026-27 tournaments. Italy and Germany received the extra Champions League spots in 2024-25, the first edition of the tournament after its expansion to 36 teams.
The European Performance Spot is awarded to the two nations that finish the previous season at the top of the UEFA Season Association Coefficient.
In this system, nations are awarded points based on the performances of their teams competing in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
Each team is awarded two points for a victory, one point for a draw and zero for a defeat. Those points are halves for qualifying and play-off matches. Clubs are also awarded bonus points depending on their positions at the end of the league phases, and extra points for each round they progress through after that.
Those scores are added up and divided by the number of clubs a nation has competing in UEFA competitions that season.
Where do Italy stand in the race for an extra Champions League spot in 2027-28?
As things stand, Italy sit in ninth place in the UEFA Season Association Coefficient, which was last updated on Friday following the most recent round of European fixtures over the last few days.
England are at the top of the rankings with a score of 6.611, Portugal are in second with 6.300, Norway are in third with 6.200, Germany are in fourth with 6.142 and Spain are in fifth with 6.125. Italy’s current tally stands at 5.214.
Latest UEFA Season Association Coefficient Ranking
- England – 6.611
- Portugal – 6.300
- Norway – 6.200
- Germany – 6.142
- Spain – 6.125
- Turkiye – 5.900
- Azerbaijan – 5.625
- Greece – 5.400
- Italy – 5.214
- France – 5.214