Official: Juventus and Bologna secure 2024-25 Champions League places | OneFootball

Juventus and Bologna have officially secured their positions in the 2024-25 edition of the Champions League after Atalanta’s 2-1 victory over Roma.

After the Week 36 Serie A fixtures, which saw Juve draw 1-1 with Salernitana, and Bologna inflict a 2-0 defeat on Napoli, the Bianconeri and Rossoblu both have a tally of 67 points from 36 league matches this campaign, which is currently seven more than Roma in sixth place.

Italy will have at least five teams competing in the Champions League next season, so Juventus and Bologna needed to create a margin over the team in sixth place in Serie A, rather than the team in fifth.

Juventus Champions League return

It will be a return to the Champions League after a one-year absence for Juventus. They were suspended from competing in UEFA competitions for a full season after being found guilty of having breached the governing body’s rules on licensing and financial fair play.

They were also given a -10 point deduction in Serie A last season, so they finished the campaign in seventh place, although they would have been third without the removal of points.

Juventus will join 2023-24 Serie A winners Inter, who have already qualified, plus Milan and Bologna.

The 2024-25 Champions League will be the first of a new format, featuring a league table in place of the group stages in the first half of the competition. There will also be 36 teams involved rather than the customary 32, which is partly why Italy have been granted an additional spot in the tournament.

A new chapter for Bologna

For Bologna, meanwhile, it will be a first ever appearance in the final tournament of the Champions League or European Cup.

They had featured in the competition’s preliminary round in 1964, but have never gone on to compete in the final tournament.

In fact, Bologna have not competed in any European competition for well over 20 years. Their last continental outing came in the Intertoto Cup in 2002, eventually losing 5-3 against Fulham over two legs of the final.