Country On Course For Extra Champions League Spot After Final Round of Group Games

With the league phase now complete following Wednesday's final round of fixtures, the race for an extra Champions League spot is becoming clearer as one country looks set to break its coefficient record.

In total, eight teams have advanced directly to the round of 16: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Barcelona, Chelsea, Sporting Lisbon and Manchester City.

Meanwhile, the teams who finished between 9th and 24th in the league phase have qualified for the Champions League knockout phase play-off draw and will find out their opponents on Friday.

Atalanta, Atletico Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Benfica, Bodø/Glimt, Club Brugge, Galatasaray and Inter will be in that draw alongside Juventus, Leverkusen, Monaco, Newcastle, Olympiacos, PSG, Qarabag and Real Madrid.

The conclusion of the league phase has given us a clearer indication of which countries could secure an extra place in the competition next season.

In total, 30 of the 32 teams qualify for Europe's elite competition via the qualification process or through league/cup performance, but there are two notable exceptions based on UEFA's co-efficient ranking system.

A nation's co-efficient is based on how well their clubs have performed across European competition - Champions League, Europa League and the Conference League - over the most recent season.

One club from each of the two highest-placed nations earns what is officially referred to as a European Performance Spot (EPS).

At the time of writing, England are almost certain to get an extra Champions League spot. They are the only country to still have all teams active (9) and hold a significant points lead over the likes of Portugal, Spain and Italy.

As things stand, securing fifth place in the Premier League would guarantee a Champions League spot. Chelsea currently sit fifth in the league below Manchester United, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Arsenal.

Germany currently sit second in UEFA's coefficient table with 15.285 points, while Portugal, Spain and Italy make up the top five.

It must be noted that England were on course to bag an EPS in 2023-24 but failed to wrap up the additional spot after a disastrous run in the quarter-finals, so nothing should be taken for granted.

How the Champions League play-offs look for the remaining round-of-16 spots

As mentioned above, the draw for the knockout play-off round will take place at around 11am on Friday, with 16 teams battling for a place in the last 16.

Here are the scenarios for this season's play-off phase.

– Monaco or Qarabag vs. Paris Saint-Germain or Newcastle (for the right to play Barcelona or Chelsea)

– Club Brugge or Galatasaray vs. Juventus or Atletico Madrid (for the right to play Liverpool or Tottenham)

– Bodo/Glimt or Benfica vs. Real Madrid or Inter Milan (for the right to play Sporting Lisbon or Manchester City)

– Borussia Dortmund or Olympiakos vs. Atalanta or Bayer Leverkusen (for the right to play Arsenal or Bayern Munich)

– Qarabag or Monaco vs. Newcastle or Paris Saint-Germain (for the right to play Chelsea or Barcelona)

– Galatasaray or Club Brugge vs. Atletico Madrid or Juventus (for the right to play Tottenham or Liverpool)

– Benfica or Bodo/Glimt vs. Inter Milan or Real Madrid (for the right to play Manchester City or Sporting Lisbon)

– Olympiakos or Borussia Dortmund vs. Bayer Leverkusen or Atalanta (for the right to play Bayern Munich or Arsenal)