Champions League fifth place rules explained as Premier League clubs await new format

The Champions League is set to be revamped from the 2024/25 season onwards, with 36 clubs participating — four more than usual — and that raises the prospect of more English teams taking part.

The extra four spots will be given to the leagues that have performed best across all three European competitions this season. It is all about coefficient points, which are UEFA's way of ranking leagues based on their performance in all tournaments. Points are awarded for wins and draws, effectively making it a competition between leagues.

However, having more teams from your country doesn't necessarily boost your ranking as it's based on averages. For instance, clubs from Czechia may not be seen as the most competitive, but they have an average of 12 points and are fifth in this season's coefficient — above France.

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This year, England started with eight teams in European football — four in the Champions League, three in the Europa League and one in the Europa Conference League. Now it's down to six Premier League teams, with Newcastle United and Manchester United bowing out of the top tier competition.

Interestingly, English teams have actually gathered more points than their Italian and German rivals (England 109, Italy 98, Germany 95.5). However, as there were only seven teams from Italy and Germany competing, their average per team is higher than the English. England, Italy, and Germany all have a strong presence in the knockout round. Each nation will be hoping to accumulate enough coefficient points to secure an extra team in the Champions League.

One thing to note is that some teams — not the