The Bundesliga missed an opportunity in the race for an additional place in the Champions League against La Liga: with a win for Bayern in Paris, Germany could have temporarily overtaken Spain. England has already secured its additional place in the Champions League.
Every season, UEFA awards two additional places in the Champions League to the two countries whose clubs score the most points on average for a UEFA season ranking.
The current situation after Bayern’s first leg defeat at Paris Saint-Germain:
| Pl. | Association | Clubs | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
1 | England | 3/9 | 26,569 |
2 | Spain | 2/8 | 21,406 |
3 | Germany | 2/7 | 21,214 |
Season rankings according to UEFA (as of April 28th, 11 p.m.)
On Wednesday, Atlético Madrid could now extend Spain’s lead with a win against Arsenal. Both Spain and Germany still have two clubs each in the three competitions. The relevant games this week:
Tuesday/Wednesday (Champions League):
- Paris Saint Germain – Bayern Munich
- Atletico Madrid -Arsenal
Thursday (Europa League and Conference League):
- Sporting Braga – SC Freiburg
- Rayo Vallecano – Racing Strasbourg
With a win, a draw or a defeat, the clubs receive the following points for the ranking (the result after 90 or 120 minutes always applies):
| country | S | U | N |
|---|---|---|---|
Spain | 0.250 | 0.125 | 0 |
Germany | 0.285 | 0.143 | 0 |
The values are determined as follows: In all three competitions, a win in the knockout round awards two points and one point for a draw. All of these points are divided by seven for Germany’s ranking because seven clubs originally started in the European competitions. One point means 0.143 points for the ranking list. For Spain, all points are divided by eight (0.125).
Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to the second legs: For advancing to the final you get 1.5 points in the Champions League, 1 point in the Europa League and 0.5 points in the Conference League. Winning a title does not bring any bonus points.
Ranking can be important for the Bundesliga European Cup place bring
For Germany there are basically seven starting places in the European Cup in the 2026/27 season:
- Champions League (league phase): Bundesliga places 1 to 4
- Europa League (league phase): Bundesliga places 5 and 6 (because both cup finalists reach at least 6th place)
- Conference League (Playoffs): Bundesliga place 7
If an additional place in the Champions League were allocated, the number would increase to eight; in this case, the starting places in the Europa League and Conference League would each move down one place.
The Bundesliga had already benefited from the regulation in 2024/25 when it and Serie A each received fifth place. This is how Borussia Dortmund got into the Champions League. For the 2025/26 season, La Liga and the Premier League each received an additional place.
In detail: How the points come about
All points earned for the ranking are divided by the number of clubs in a country that competed in the European Cup. Like Italy, Germany started with seven teams, so one point from a club means 0.143 points. England had nine clubs in the three competitions, so each point earned is only worth around 0.111 points in the rankings. Spain with eight teams gets 0.125 points per point. If clubs are eliminated, the calculation does not change.
Points for the ranking are as follows:
Champions League:
2 points: All wins from the league phase onwards
1 point: All draws from the league phase onwards
1.5 points: Bonus for each round from the round of 16 onwards
1 point: All victories in qualifying
0.5 points: All draws in qualification
Europa League:
2 points: All wins from the league phase onwards
1 point: All draws from the league phase onwards
1 point: Bonus for each round from the round of 16 onwards
1 point: All victories in qualifying
0.5 points: All draws in qualification
Conference League:
2 points: All wins from the league phase onwards
1 point: All draws from the league phase onwards
0.5 points: Bonus for each round from the round of 16 onwards
1 point: All victories in qualifying
0.5 points: All draws in qualification
1 – 2.5 points: For participation in the qualification
The result applies after 90 minutes or after 120 minutes. The penalty shootout plays no role in determining the outcome of the game.
In addition, there are bonus points for placing in the final tables of the league phase in the three competitions. For the first team in the table there are twelve points in the Champions League, six points in the Europa League and four points in the Conference League. The places behind receive progressively fewer points.
