European Performance Spot – How Newcastle United ended up with one | OneFootball

An interesting release from UEFA, explaining how Newcastle United secured a European Performance Spot.

UEFA detailing (see below) how the 36 Champions League places are decided.

Including Newcastle United picking up a European Performance Spot that qualifies them for the 2025/26 Champions League, along with Villarreal who got the other European Performance Spot.

The Premier League and La Liga finished in the top two of the 2024/25 association club coefficients and therefore each earned a European Performance Spot.

So the two top performing nations, when it comes to their clubs collectively in Europe (the collective coefficients) the previous season, get an extra Champions League place, a European Performance spot.

2024/25 association club coefficients

1. England: 206.250 points / seven clubs = 29.464 average 2. Spain: 167.250 points / seven clubs = 23.892 average 3. Italy: 175.000 points / eight clubs = 21.875 average 4. Germany: 147.375 points / eight clubs = 18.421 average

As you can see, the Premier League was a country mile ahead of the rest, whilst La Liga edged out Serie A for the second European Performance Spot.

During the 2024/25 season, the European performances from the seven Premier League clubs produced 206.250 points, as we saw Chelsea win the Conference League, Spurs defeat Man U in the Europa League final, whilst in the Champions League we saw Arsenal get to the semis, Villa the quarters, Liverpool the last 16, Man City the play-off stage after the 36 club league was finalised following each club playing eight opponents.

Having benefited from Premier League clubs performing in Europe last season, will Newcastle United play a part in guaranteeing English clubs a fifth bonus spot for the 2026/27 Champions League…?

‘2025/26 UEFA Champions League: Newcastle and Villarreal secure next season’s European Performance Spots

Newcastle United and Villarreal have both earned league phase places for next season via the European Performance Spots.

England and Spain finished in the top two of the 2024/25 association club coefficients and therefore secured next season’s European Performance Spots; the two berths have been filled by Newcastle United and Villarreal, respectively.

What are the European Performance Spots?

As happened last year under the new format of the European club competitions, the European Performance Spots go to the associations with the best collective performance by their clubs at the end of the current season’s UEFA men’s club competitions (i.e. the association club coefficient from the season just completed, which is based on the total number of club coefficient points obtained by each club from an association, divided by the number of clubs from that association, in accordance with Annex D of the competition regulations).

Those two associations each earn one automatic place in the league phase (“European Performance Spot”) for the club ranked next-best in their domestic league behind those clubs that have already qualified directly for the league phase.

Which associations have benefited from the European Performance Spots next season?

England and Spain finished in the top two of the 2024/25 association club coefficients and therefore each earned a European Performance Spot.

2024/25 association club coefficients

1. England: 206.250 points / seven clubs = 29.464 average 2. Spain: 167.250 points / seven clubs = 23.892 average 3. Italy: 175.000 points / eight clubs = 21.875 average 4. Germany: 147.375 points / eight clubs = 18.421 average 5. France: 125.500 points / seven clubs = 17.928 average 6. Portugal: 81.250 points / five clubs = 16.250 average 7. Belgium: 78.250 points / five clubs = 15.650 average 8. Netherlands: 91.500 points / six clubs = 15.250 average 9. Greece: 50.750 points / four clubs = 12.687 average 10. Norway: 47.250 points / four clubs = 11.812 average

Which clubs take the European Performance Spots?

Both Spain and England have four automatic league phase spots for the 2025/26 campaign, meaning the teams that finish in the top four in both the Premier League and La Liga standings are assured of places in the league phase.

Newcastle, fifth in the Premier League, will take England’s European Performance Spot, while Spain’s will go to fifth-placed Villarreal.

The 36 spots for the 2025/26 league phase are determined as follows: