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Tottenham suffer Champions League blow as Premier League fifth place status confirmed

Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected
Micky van de Ven of Tottenham Hotspur looks dejected -Credit:2024 Getty Images


Tottenham Hotspur's chances of playing in the Champions League next season suffered a blow this evening due to Borussia Dortmund's 1-0 victory over Paris Saint-Germain.

Spurs, who could still finish in the top four, were also hoping that they could be able to take one of the two additional Champions League places on offer for the 2024/25 season as Europe's elite competition prepares to expand from 32 teams to 36.

The Lilywhites required Villa to win their remaining matches in the Europa Conference League and German sides remaining in both the Champions League (Bayern Munich, Dortmund) and Europa League to lose in their semi-final ties to have hope of qualifying for next year's Champions League by finishing fifth in the Premier League.

But Dortmund's win, which has taken their coefficient score to 18.357, has ensured Germany will be the second nation to receive a fifth Champions League spot. Italy, with a coefficient score of 19.428, have already sealed the other place.

Poor performances from English sides in Europe this campaign has left England with a current coefficient score of 17.375, placing them third in the coefficient table, though only the top two performing countries are rewarded. England can only achieve a maximum score of 18.250 from here, which will be obtain if Aston Villa go on to win the Conference League.

Arsenal and Manchester City were knocked out of the Champions League at the quarter-final stage, the same also applying to Liverpool and West Ham in the Europa League. Manchester United and Newcastle United were knocked out of the Champions League after finishing bottom of their groups, while Brighton exited the Europa League during the Round of 16.

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UEFA coefficient scores are earned by depending on their performance in Europe that given season. This total score is divided by the number of clubs a country has in Europe in the season, providing a coefficient average. A win is worth two points, a draw one and there are also bonus points for reaching certain stages of competitions.

Tottenham's only hope of now competing in next year's Champions League will be to catch Aston Villa. Spurs currently trail Unai Emery's side by seven points, with two games in hand, and will take on Chelsea on Thursday night in their next Premier League fixture.