After closing the League Phase Champions League and Europa League stages, English football is firmly at the top of the UEFA rankings. With a great advantage and optimistic forecasts from Opta, the prospect of the Premier League having an additional Champions League spot in the 2026-2027 season is becoming very clear.
What is the UEFA coefficient table and why is it important?
The UEFA coefficient ranking is used to evaluate the performance of clubs by country in three European cups including the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
According to regulations, the two countries at the top of the coefficient table when the season ends will be rewarded with an additional Champions League spot - often understood as a spot thanks to the best performance in Europe.
The scoring method is quite direct when winning 2 points of coefficient, drawing 1 point, and losing without any points.
There are also bonus points based on rankings in the group stage and achievements through each knockout round. Notably, bonus points in the Champions League are significantly higher than in the other two tournaments.
The top team in the Champions League group stage receives 12 bonus points, compared to 6 in the Europa League and 4 in the Conference League. This partly explains why top national championships often prevail in the coefficient race.
As of now after the group stage, England is at the top, while Portugal is second, slightly ahead of Germany. With many representatives still staying in all three arenas, English football continues to accumulate stable points.
A significant highlight when England is the only country still having enough representatives to continue playing in European cups, with Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace participating in the Europa League and Conference League play-offs, and Newcastle in the Champions League.
The remaining number of teams is an advantage, although theoretically other leagues can "untangle" thanks to playing more play-offs. The increased number of matches means there will be more opportunities to accumulate points.
Although English football is not certain in theory to finish in the top 2, according to Opta's assessment, everything is almost decided. According to the score prediction model, England has a 100% chance of entering the top 2, which means very bright chances of winning an additional Champions League spot.
Additional Champions League spots will "heat up" the top 5 Premier League race
If the Premier League has one more Champions League spot, the door will be wider for the chasing group, especially in the context of the extremely close point gap.
Currently, only 5 points are between Manchester United (4th place, 38 points) and Sunderland (11th place, 33 points). In the key area, Chelsea is ranked fifth (37 points), just above Liverpool (36 points) - a fragile gap enough to reverse the situation after only one round.
There is no room for mistakes
An additional Champions League spot may be a lifeline for many teams, but it also means the race will be fiercer. Each Premier League match from now on can be decisive, because just one stumble is enough to upset the rankings.
If England's point-scoring trend continues to be maintained, the Premier League scenario of having more tickets to the 2026-2027 Champions League season is not only a possibility but is gradually becoming a default in the long-distance race in Europe.
