How can the Bundesliga earn a fifth UEFA Champions League spot for 2027/28?
· Bundesliga-Official
Two leagues in Europe can now earn an extra UEFA Champions League qualifying spot for the following season. The Bundesliga had five teams in the competition as a result in 2024/25. Could they do so again for 2027/28?
The battle for a spot in the top four - and with it the chance to play Champions League football - is usually one of the most thrilling storylines in the course of a Bundesliga season.
However, since UEFA's revamp of its competitions from 2024/25, with the expansion of the Champions League to 36 teams, there are now additional routes to reach European club football's top table.
As well as winning the Champions League or Europa League, there are now two European Performance Spots that are awarded to the two leagues with the highest coefficient ranking over the course of that season.
There is a complicated points system behind that, but the more wins and further a league's teams go in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, the higher that league climbs in the rankings.