Will the Premier League get an extra Champions League spot next season?

The UEFA Champions League is expanding to 36 teams (from 32) in its new format set to be debuted during the 2024-25 season (more details), meaning there are four additional places in the tournament proper that must be allocated to four lucky clubs.

[ MORE: UEFA Champions League knockout rounds schedule ]

Two of those places will be allocated to two leagues that perform especially well in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League and Conference League during the 2023-24 season. This is particularly notable to Premier League clubs — especially Aston Villa, Tottenham and (maybe) Manchester United — as England stands to gain one of those extra Champions League berths.

Consider this UEFA Coefficients 101.

How will the additional Champions League slots be allocated each season?

UEFA.com

Slots three and four: These places will go to the associations with the best collective performance by their clubs in the previous season (i.e. the association club coefficient of the previous season, which is based on the total number of club coefficient points obtained by each club from an association divided by the number of participating clubs from that association). Those two associations will each earn one automatic place in the league phase (‘European Performance Spot’) for the club ranked next-best in their domestic league behind those clubs that have already qualified directly for the league phase.

UEFA.com

Translation: the two leagues that perform best in the three European competitions (with extra value being place on the Champions League, of course) this season, will each earn an additional UCL slot for their domestic league the following season. Should the Premier League be awarded an extra slot for 2024-25 season, it would go to the side that finishes 5th in 2023-24.

How do clubs earn coefficient points?

A win in the Champions League, Europa League or Europa Conference League is worth two coefficient points; a draw is worth one; a defeat is zero. When a game goes to extra time, the score after 120 minutes is used, as a penalty shootout determines the winner of the tie, not an individual game.

There are also bonus points awarded for reaching each further round beginning with the group stage (soon to become the “league phase”).

Champions League bonus points

4 – Group stage5 – Round of 161 (each round) – Quarterfinal/semifinal/final

Europa League bonus points

4 – Group winners2 – Group runners-up1 (each round) – Round of 16/quarterfinal/semifinal/final

Europa Conference League bonus points

2 – Group winners1 – Group runners-up1 (each round) – Semifinal/final

The points earned by clubs from the same league are then added together and divided by the total number of teams that competed in Europe that season. As things currently stand, eight Premie League clubs have earned 111 coefficient points this season, giving the Premier League an average coefficient score of 13.875. Is that good? How many do they need?

What is the current UEFA league coefficient ranking?

(clubs remaining in Europe)

Italy – 15.571 (6)

Germany – 14.928 (5)

England – 13.875 (6)

France – 13.750 (3)

Spain – 13.187 (4)

Czechia – 12.750 (3)

Belgium – 12.400 (2)

Turkey – 11.000 (1)

Portugal – 9.833 (2)

Netherlands – 9.800 (2)