Serie A will have five teams in the Champions League as Premier League faces a tough battle to outperform the Bundesliga after Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, and West Ham were all eliminated from European competitions in one week

The Premier League’s potential loss of a fifth Champions League spot in the upcoming season could have significant implications for the English top-flight. According to ESPN, Serie A is set to benefit from securing at least five teams in the Champions League for the 2024/25 season, with Roma and Atalanta making it to the Europa League semi-finals and Fiorentina progressing to the last four of the Europa Conference League. This achievement has enabled Serie A to claim one of the additional two spots in UEFA’s coefficient rankings for the forthcoming season.

In contrast, the Premier League’s prospects for obtaining the extra spots look uncertain following the exits of Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, and West Ham from the Champions League and Europa League competitions. As a result, the spotlight has shifted to Serie A and the Bundesliga, with the latter making significant strides as Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and Bayer Leverkusen have advanced deep into European competitions.

The impending expanded 36-team Champions League format for the next season will see two leagues being rewarded with an extra place through the ‘European Performance Spots.’ Currently, Serie A is positioned to benefit from this expansion, with the fifth-place side in Serie A poised to qualify for the UCL, a position currently occupied by Roma, while Atalanta is in the sixth place. Notably, if either of these teams wins the Europa League and finishes outside the top four in the Italian top-flight, Serie A could remarkably boast six teams in the UCL for the 2024/25 season.

These developments challenge the widely held belief in the dominance of the Premier League, as the statistics suggest otherwise. Despite its reputation as the best league in the world, the Premier League may face a setback in securing the desired Champions League spots in the future.

Furthermore, the impending format change in the Champions League signifies a significant shift in the dynamics of the competition. The introduction of a ‘Swiss’ format will see teams playing eight games in the qualifying stage, with the top eight sides progressing to the last 16 and the ninth to 24th placed teams engaging in enthralling two-legged play-offs.

Additionally, against this backdrop, Aston Villa emerges as the sole surviving team representing the Premier League in European competitions this season, as they advanced to the last four of the Europa Conference League by defeating Lille on penalties.

The implications of these developments extend beyond the immediate season and could potentially redefine the competitive landscape of European football in the years to come.