The Bundesliga has fallen behind in the race for an extra Champions League spot. The Premier League suffered a debacle—one it can weather.
FC Bayern thrashed Atalanta Bergamo 6-1 on the road, while Bayer 04 Leverkusen held the previously undefeated Arsenal to a draw—one that was actually a lucky result for the Gunners. But this double statement wasn’t enough to defend second place in the UEFA rankings, which determine the allocation of additional Champions League spots for the new season.
As of Wednesday evening, Germany is now only the third-best association in the current European Cup season—only the top two receive an extra ticket to the Champions League. Spain has moved into second place, but with a lead of just 0.031 points, a margin the Bundesliga could make up as early as Thursday. Then VfB Stuttgart (against FC Porto) and SC Freiburg (at KRC Genk) will be in action in the first legs of the Europa League round of 16, while 1. FSV Mainz 05 (at Sigma Olomouc) will play in the Conference League.
In addition to FC Barcelona’s 1-1 draw at Newcastle United, Spanish clubs celebrated two wins thanks to Atlético Madrid (5-2 against Tottenham) and Real Madrid (3-0 against Manchester City), while the Bundesliga is still reeling from Borussia Dortmund’s elimination in the playoffs.
The points awarded to the associations for wins, draws, and advancing to the next round are always divided by the total number of clubs from that association that originally qualified for the three European competitions. Spain still has six clubs in the running—including Real Betis and Celta Vigo in the Europa League, and Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League—so it holds one more trump card than the Bundesliga.
The Premier League continues to reign unchallenged at the top of the UEFA rankings, though it suffered a veritable debacle on Tuesday and Wednesday. Apart from Arsenal, only Newcastle managed to pick up a point; Spurs, Man City, Chelsea (2-5 at PSG), and Liverpool (0-1 at Galatasaray) head into the second legs with some heavy defeats. This was not necessarily expected after England’s show of strength in the group stage, but given the substantial lead, it does not yet pose a threat in the race for the additional Champions League spot.
Should Germany finish the season in one of the top two spots in the UEFA rankings, the first club in the Bundesliga table that has not yet qualified for the Champions League in any other way would receive a ticket to the competition—typically the fifth-place team. Currently, TSG Hoffenheim (3rd, 49 points), VfB (4th, 47 points), RB Leipzig (5th, 47 points), and Leverkusen (6th, 44 points) are bunched closely together.
