What happens if the UEFA Champions League winners have also qualified for the league phase via their domestic league position? 

The 2025/26 UEFA Champions League winners will automatically qualify for next season’s league phase, but what happens if they have also earned a place via their domestic league position?

Last updated: 09:00 CET on Thursday 5 February

One of the main principles of the new European club competition format post-2024 is the important role of club coefficient – namely, the club’s performance in European club competitions over the current five-year period.

It is for this reason that should the Champions League winners have also qualified for the league phase via their domestic league position, the club with the best individual coefficient of all the domestic champions involved in qualifying (the domestic champions of associations 11 to 55*) will enter the league phase directly instead of the original round they had qualified for according to the access list.

Olympiacos qualified for the league phase of the 2025/26 Champions League since 2024/25 winners Paris had both already qualified via their domestic league position.

*Note that the domestic title winners from associations one to ten will have already automatically qualified for the league phase.

What does this mean in practice? 

The top ten coefficients for the current league phase leaders from associations 11-55 are as follows:

Olympiacos** (GRE) – 62.250 (1st in domestic league)
Crvena Zvezda** (SRB) – 46.500 (1st)
GNK Dinamo** (CRO) – 46.500 (1st)
Salzburg (AUT) – 45.000 (1st)
Slovan Bratislava (SVK) – 36.000 (1st)
Omonoia** (CYP) – 21.250 (1st)
Celje** (SVN) – 20.500 (1st)
Shamrock Rovers (IRL) – 19.375 (champions)
KuPS Kuopio** (FIN) – 14.000 (champions)
H. Beer-Sheva (ISR) – 14.000 (1st)

 The top ten coefficients for all clubs from associations 11-55 are as follows:

Olympiacos** (GRE) – 62.250 (1st in domestic league)
Bodø/Glimt** (NOR) – 60.500 (2nd)
Rangers (SCO) – 59.250 (2nd)
Copenhagen (DEN) – 54.375 (5th)
Shakhtar** (UKR) – 50.250 (2nd)
Ferencváros** (HUN) – 48.250 (2nd)
PAOK** (GRE) – 48.250 (3rd)
Crvena Zvezda** (SRB) – 46.500 (1st)
GNK Dinamo** (CRO) – 46.500 (1st)
Midtjylland** (DEN) – 46.250 (2nd)

**Denotes clubs still participating in European club competitions

Olympiacos would qualify as it stands 

As current leaders of the Greek Super League, Olympiacos would, as it stands, take the Champions League winners’ league phase berth should such rebalancing be required. This is because they have the highest coefficient of all the clubs currently top of their domestic leagues from associations 11-55. The access list would subsequently be rebalanced accordingly.

It is important to underline that this ongoing process will take place simultaneously within the domestic competitions that will determine the national champion of each country as well as the knockout rounds in the European competitions, since several of the eligible clubs are participating in the European club competitions and therefore still have the potential to enhance their overall coefficient.

*Note that as Liechtenstein does not have its own domestic league, its clubs play in the Swiss football league system.