Bundesliga and Serie A have secured the 5th spot for the UEFA Champions League, with the Premier League missing out on having an extra slot next season.
The Bundesliga gained the extra spot due to the impressive outings of clubs in the country, with Borussia Dortmund’s first-leg win over Paris Saint Germain confirming the league’s fate.
Edin Terzic’s side sit 5th in the German top division and he would be pleased to see the extra slot go to the Bundesliga, with the news possibly being an extra motivation for his side to head to Paris to silence Paris Saint Germain.
Niclas Füllkrug’s crucial goal in the 36th minute proved vital for Borussia Dortmund, as they go into the second leg in France on the front foot.
Bayern Munich also visit Madrid to play Real Madrid in the second leg of their UEFA Champions League affair, having played out a 1-1 draw in Munich on Tuesday, April 30, 2024.
Teams in the Serie A also have cause to smile, as, despite the display of their representatives in the UEFA Champions League, they will still be handed 5 spots.
The Italian top-tier league has two representatives in Atalanta and Roma still competing in the latter stages of the UEFA Europa League, with Fiorentina also in the semi-final of the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Teams in the Premier League were handed a huge blow, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United still hoping for an outside chance of making it to Europe if not through the top 4.
Unfortunately, the performances of English clubs in Europe this campaign left much to be expected and the chicken has indeed come home to roost.
Why were Bundesliga and Serie A handed an extra Champions League spot?
German Bundesliga sides and Serie A sides took the bull by the horns, with the former securing the second position in UEFA’s coefficient table for this season.
Two leagues will be rewarded with an extra spot via the European Performance Spots, and it is handed to the two leagues with the best average performance across the three European competitions each season.
This comes as part of the decision to expand the UEFA Champions League to a 36-team competition.
The Serie A had already secured the first place in April 2024, and Dortmund’s victory meant that Germany could not be surpassed by the final remaining contenders, England and France.
Germany sailed into a position of strength and comfort following wins for Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen against English oppositions like Arsenal and West Ham, respectively, which guaranteed their qualification for the semifinals.
Meanwhile, if Borussia Dortmund ultimately goes on to win the Champions League and finish fifth in the league, then the German Bundesliga will have six teams in the Champions League next season.
It would go as thus, the guaranteed top four sides, alongside Borussia Dortmund as Champions League titleholders, and then the 6th team in the log being handed the European Performance Spot.
The German Bundesliga will let go of one of its Europa League spots, which would have been taken up by Borussia Dortmund, peradventure, they fail to win the UEFA Champions League.
