Revealed: Why English teams have the best chance at winning an extra Champions League spot next season – despite Man City's exit to Real Madrid

The Premier League could receive another Champions League place next season after English teams received a coefficient boost in UEFA’s rankings – despite Manchester City’s unusually early exit from European competition on Tuesday evening. 

Pep Guardiola’s side travelled to Real Madrid with the faint hope of overturning a one-goal deficit following 3-2 defeat in the first leg of their play-off match. 

But Kylian Mbappe put paid to any lingering ambition in the fourth minute of the clash at the Bernabeu when he put the Spanish giants 1-0 up at home. 

The France captain netted a hat-trick on the night to prematurely end Guardiola’s campaign in Europe, with the 2023 champions returning to Manchester with a 6-3 aggregate loss. 

However, although the English serial winners will no longer be featuring in the European top flight, the end of the play-off phase in all of UEFA’s competitions has given Europe’s top leagues a clearer picture of which two divisions will gain an extra place in the Champions League next term. 

As of February 19, England sit atop the standings with a coefficient rating of 20.892, having been bolstered by every team in European competition making it through the league phases unscathed – save for Man City. 

Kylian Mbappe was in imperious form for hosts Real Madrid as he completed a hat-trick

But strong performances from teams still contesting in Europe like Liverpool (left) and Arsenal mean that England still has a good chance at claiming another spot next term

Arsenal, Aston Villa, and Liverpool all gain automatic qualification in the Champions League, with Manchester United, Tottenham, and Chelsea doing so in the Europa League and UEFA Conference League. 

Teams are awarded two points for a win, one for a draw, and nothing for a defeat, with equal weighting across the competitions. 

Bonus points are also awarded for the place a team finished in the league phase, with a maximum of 18 available in the Champions League, 10 in the Europa League, and six in the Conference League. 

Behind England is Spain, who could also gain an extra Champions League place next season with their ranking of 18.535 points.

Like the English teams, six of the seven teams that started the season in Europe qualified for the knockout stages, with only Girona faltering in the league phase. 

But unlike England, Spain could see their ranking dented on Thursday night, when Real Sociedad and Real Betis play their play-off ties against FC Midtjylland and Gent respectively. 

However, both Spanish teams have the advantage ahead of the second leg, with Spain’s chances of winning the extra spot continuing to look strong. 

England’s chances could be further burnished by the fact that in the Europa League, United and Spurs are on opposing sides of the draw, and fated only to meet in the final – ensuring that neither team is able to rock their country’s coefficient until a possible meeting in San Mames in May. 

Italy – one of last year’s winners of the additional place – is looking increasingly unlikely to lose it at the end of the season after a woeful play-off campaign saw Juventus, AC Milan, and Atalanta knocked out of Europa. 

Only Inter Milan keeps their place in the Champions League, with Lazio in the Europa League knockout rounds, and crosstown rivals Roma awaiting their fate ahead of a second-leg meeting with Porto.   

The other recipient of last year’s additional place, the Bundesliga, has also seen its entrances endure a torrid time, but qualification through the play-offs for Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund has slightly improved their chances of clinging on.