UEFA coefficient: Why Premier League's hopes of fifth spot next season are now over

With the Premier League season drawing to a close, some sides are having to come to terms with the brutal reality of the English top flight.

Some of the division's most prestigious clubs dreamt of Champions League qualification at the start of the season, but the likes of Manchester United, Newcastle United and Chelsea have fallen well short of that fabled fourth spot, while Tottenham look almost certain to miss out.

They had been handed hope earlier in the season, however, with a change in the 2024/25 Champions League format meaning it was possible for five Premier League teams to qualify for next season's competition. Unfortunately, that prospect has been dashed in recent weeks.

Here's why the Premier League has missed out on an extra Champions League place.

From next season onwards, the Champions League we know and love will change. The tournament has been expanded from 32 to 36 clubs, while the traditional group stage has been removed entirely.

Instead, all 36 sides will be placed into a single league table, with each team playing eight games during the league phase — four home and four away. Those matches will be decided by a seeding system that includes four separate pots, with teams playing two sides from each pot — one home and one away.

After the league phase is completed, the top eight teams will qualify automatically for the last 16. Teams placed from ninth to 24th will then face off in a two-legged play-off, with sides from ninth to 16th playing sides from 17th to 24th. Teams placed 25th or below are eliminated, with no clubs now dropping into the Europa League.

The eight automatic qualifiers will then be drawn against the eight play-off winners in the last 16, with the competition then continuing in its current