Milan and Juventus results do not help Italy in race for extra Champions League spot
The Champions League trophy EPA-EFE/JEAN-CHRISTOPHE BOTT
This last week has been the most successful for the Italian teams competing in UEFA competitions this season, but a disappointing set of Europa League and Conference League results for Milan, Juventus and Atalanta have not helped Italy in the race for an extra Champions League spot.
All four of the Italian sides competing in this season’s Champions League picked up victories earlier this week: Napoli defeated Bodo/Glimt 4-3, Roma beat Slovan Bratislava 4-0, Como smashed Manchester United 4-1 and Inter snuck a 1-0 victory past Shakhtar Donetsk.
Things were slightly less encouraging in the Europa League and Conference League, as Juventus were held to a 2-2 draw at home against Rennes on Thursday night, whilst Milan were beaten 3-0 by Bournemouth and Atalanta beaten 2-0 by Ajax.
So, how has this affected Italy’s hopes of gaining an extra Champions League spot for the 2027-28 season?
How are the extra Champions League spots calculated?
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?
Italy began the week in ninth place in the UEFA Season Association Coefficient with an average of 5.214.
Following the most recent round of European fixtures played this week, Italy remain in ninth place but have improved their average score to 6.500.
England are at the top of the rankings with an average of 7.944, Germany are in second with 7.285, Spain are third with 7.250 and Portugal and Turkiye follow, both with an average of 7.100.
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