Note: Single-source report; awaiting corroboration.
England and Spain finished as the top two associations in the 2025/26 UEFA men's club competition coefficients, each earning an additional place in the 2026/27 UEFA Champions League league phase through the European Performance Spots.
The European Performance Spots are awarded to associations with the best collective club performance in the previous season, calculated by dividing the total club coefficient points by the number of participating clubs. For 2025/26, England averaged 28.680 points across nine clubs, while Spain averaged 22.093 across eight clubs.
As a result, both England and Spain will have five teams in the 2026/27 Champions League league phase: their top four clubs qualifying automatically, plus the next best club domestically. For England, Liverpool, which finished fifth in the Premier League, secures the European Performance Spot. In Spain, Real Betis, fifth in La Liga, takes the equivalent spot.
The league phase will feature 36 teams, including the 2025/26 Champions League and Europa League winners, top domestic clubs from major European leagues, the European Performance Spots holders, and qualifiers advancing through preliminary rounds.