Sporting CP automatically qualified for UEFA Champions League group stage in case of rebalancing

The winner of the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 will automatically qualify for the group stage of the next season’s UEFA Champions League, but what happens if they have also earned a place through their domestic league ranking?

Last updated: 9 hours ago on Monday, May 18

One of the key principles of the new post-2024 European club competitions format is the important role of club coefficients, which are the club’s performances in European club competitions over the current five-year period.

Therefore, in the 2024-27 club competitions format, if the winner of the UEFA Europa League has also qualified for the UEFA Champions League group stage through their domestic league ranking, the club with the highest individual coefficient among all teams participating in the UEFA Champions League qualifications (champions path and league path) will directly advance to the group stage.

However, no overtaking is allowed, meaning a team from the league path can only advance to the group stage if that club is the highest ranked nationally among those in its association who have not directly qualified for the competition’s group stage. If not, the automatic group stage berth is given to the club with the second-highest coefficient.

Last season, no balancing was necessary as Tottenham, the 2024/25 UEFA Europa League winner, did not qualify for a European competition through their domestic league ranking. This was different in the previous season when Atalanta, the 2023/24 winner, had secured a spot in the UEFA Champions League 2024/25, allowing Benfica to gain an automatic group stage place.

What does this mean in practice?

The top ten club coefficients currently vying for UEFA Champions League qualifications (champions path and league path) are:

Sporting CP (POR) – 84.000 (2nd in domestic league, season ended) Lyon (FRA) – 65.750 (4th, season ended) Bodø/Glimt (NOR) – 64.000 (2nd, season ended)* Olympiacos (GRE) – 62.250 (2nd, season ended)* Fenerbahçe (TUR) – 57.750 (2nd, season ended) Union SG (BEL) – 48.000 (2nd) Crvena Zvezda (SRB) – 46.500 (champions) GNK Dinamo (CRO) – 46.500 (champions) Celtic (SCO) – 44.000 (champions) Sparta Praha (CZE) – 38.250 (2nd)

* Bodø/Glimt and Olympiacos are cases of overtaking – see paragraph 3.04b of the official UEFA Champions League regulations.

Sporting CP will qualify if balancing is necessary

Having now secured the second place in the Portuguese Liga – the champion automatically qualifies for the UEFA Champions League group stage – Sporting CP would initially be expected to participate in the UEFA Champions League qualifications.

However, based on their individual coefficient, Sporting CP would instead take the additional group stage spot vacated by the UEFA Europa League winner if such balancing is required. The access list would then be adjusted accordingly.

This article is generally updated every Monday morning and every Friday of a week with UEFA men’s club competition matches.