Sporting CP set for automatic Champions League league phase berth if rebalancing is required

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

Last updated: 09:00 CET on Monday 18 May

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, under the 2024–27 club competition format, that if the Europa League winners have also qualified for the league phase of the Champions League via their domestic league position, then the club with the best individual coefficient of all the teams in Champions League qualifying (champions path and league path) goes directly to the league phase.

However, no leapfrogging is permitted here, meaning a team from the league path can only move to the league phase provided that this club is the highest ranked domestically of those from its association that have not already qualified for the league phase of the competition directly (see paragraph 3.04b of the official UEFA Champions League regulations). If this is not the case, the automatic league phase place goes to the club with the next best coefficient.

Last season, no rebalancing was required as 2024/25 Europa League winners Tottenham did not qualify for European competition via their domestic league position. This was not the case the previous season, however, when 2023/24 winners Atalanta had already earned a 2024/25 Champions League slot, meaning Benfica were handed the bonus of an automatic league phase berth.

What does this mean in practice? 

The top ten coefficients for the clubs currently on course to be involved in Champions League qualifying (champions path and league path):

Sporting CP (POR) – 84.000 (2nd in domestic league, season finished)
Lyon (FRA) – 65.750 (4th, season finished)
Bodø/Glimt (NOR) – 64.000 (2nd, season finished)*
Olympiacos (GRE) – 62.250 (2nd, season finished)*
Fenerbahçe (TUR) – 57.750 (2nd, season finished)
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 leapfrogging cases – see paragraph 3.04b of the official UEFA Champions League regulations 

Sporting CP will qualify should rebalancing be required 

As they have now secured second place in the Portuguese Liga – the champions qualify automatically for the league phase of the Champions League – Sporting CP would initially be destined to go into Champions League qualifying.

However, accounting for their individual coefficient, Sporting CP would instead take the additional league phase place vacated by the Europa League winners should such rebalancing be required. The access list would subsequently be rebalanced accordingly.

This article is generally updated every Monday morning as well as every Friday of a men's UEFA club competition matchweek.