Courtesy: Google
England have been confirmed to get five minimum spots in the UEFA Champions League (UCL) next season after Arsenal defeated Real Madrid 3-0 at the Emirates Stadium in London in the first leg of the quarter-finals clash this season. In the quarter-finals round in each of the three UEFA club competitions, a win was needed for any of the England teams to secure the fifth UCL spot, which happened as Arsenal were too good for Real Madrid at home.
Notably, as per the UEFA rules, two extra spots in the UCL are awarded to countries on the basis of their ranking in the coefficient table. The domestic league of each country gets the opportunity to earn a ranking in the coefficient table on the basis of how their teams perform in each of the three UEFA club competitions namely Champions League, Europa League, and Conference league, throughout the season with two points earned for a win and one for a draw.
England could have seven teams playing in Champions League next season
Following that, the points earned by the clubs from their own domestic league are added up before being divided by the number of clubs playing from a country in Europe. Apart from that, there is a provision of bonus points available for the clubs to earn in the Champions League, giving a better chance for certain countries with more teams competing in the UEFA competitions, this season being Italy and Germany.
It leads to countries finishing in top two of the UEFA coefficient table earning a spot each in the UCL next season, which England have achieved now. These two spots are going to be awarded to teams finishing in first place in the domestic league below the standard UCL spots allocation, which could mean that England can even have seven teams in the tournament next season if Aston Villa win it this year while finishing outside the top five at home apart from either Manchester United or Tottenham winning the Europa League.
