Which countries are set to win extra Champions League places?
- Published
England and Portugal are currently on course to win the two extra Champions League places on offer for next season's competition.
Since the start of the 2024-25 season, when the Champions League's first round expanded from 32 teams to 36, Uefa have handed an extra qualifying place to each of the two best-performing nations in the previous season.
Using Uefa's association rankings, where points are earned by winning and drawing matches in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, the two nations with the highest points get given a direct qualification each for the following season's Champions League.
Throughout the season, teams earn two points for every win and one for draws across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. There are also bonus points on offer for every round reached across the three competitions, although more points are given to teams competing in the Champions League than in the other competitions.
In the qualification rounds, these points are halved.
Points earned are then divided by how many teams from that country entered European competitions at the start of the season.
In the 2025-26 season, England have nine teams competing in Europe. That means all points are divided by nine.
Scotland started the season with five teams competing in Europe. Although Hibernian and Dundee United failed to progress out of the qualifying rounds, three teams remain - but Scotland's points are still divided by five.
For this season, England and Spain were given one extra spot each as they were the two best-performing nations across the 2024-25 campaign. That meant entry to the Champions League was given to Newcastle and Athletic Club.
For the 2024-25 season, Italy and Germany were given the two places, known as European Performances Spots (EPS). Bologna and Borussia Dortmund were the teams granted entry.
Get in touch
Send us your questions
What does the current table look like?
Nottingham Forest manager Ange Postecoglou saw his side lost 3-2 at home to Midtjylland on Thursday night
While the European season is still in its infancy, already the race for extra European spots is taking shape.
Thursday proved to be a successful night for Portugal, climbing above England and Denmark into top spot. Braga and Porto both recorded wins in the Europa League.
England dropped to second despite victories for Crystal Palace and Aston Villa, with Nottingham Forest's defeat to Midtjylland helping to keep Denmark in the top three.
Poland were the biggest risers of Thursday night, climbing from ninth to fourth. Three of their four clubs in Europe, Jagiellonia Bialystok, Lech Poznan and Rakow Czestochowa, all won in in the Conference League.
Cyprus and Germany both dropped one spot to fifth and sixth respectively.
Spain climbed one place to seventh after wins for Real Betis, Celta Vigo and Rayo Vallecano.
Italy and Belgium both dropped two places each to eighth and ninth, while France have entered the top ten at the expense of Azerbaijan after wins for Lille, Lyon and Strasbourg.
Current top 10 in race for 2026-27 EPS spots:
Portugal 6.800 (4/5 clubs remaining)
England 6.722 (9/9 clubs remaining)
Denmark 6.625 (2/4 clubs remaining)
Poland 6.375 (4/4 clubs remaining)
Cyprus 6.250 (3/4 clubs remaining)
Germany 6.142 (7/7 clubs remaining)
Spain 6.000 (8/8 clubs remaining)
Italy 5.857 (7/7 clubs remaining)
Belgium 5.300 (3/5 clubs remaining)
France 5.214 (7/7 clubs remaining)
This article is the latest from BBC Sport's Ask Me Anything team.
What is Ask Me Anything?
Ask Me Anything is a service dedicated to answering your questions.
We want to reward your time by telling you things you do not know and reminding you of things you do.
The team will find out everything you need to know and be able to call upon a network of contacts including our experts and pundits.
We will be answering your questions from the heart of the BBC Sport newsroom, and going behind the scenes at some of the world's biggest sporting events.
Our coverage will span the BBC Sport website, app, social media and YouTube accounts, plus BBC TV and radio.