Real Madrid continue to dominate UEFA club rankings
Monday, August 21, 2017
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Real Madrid top the UEFA club coefficient rankings for the fourth season running while Spain remains the dominant national association coming into the 2017/18 campaign.
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Real Madrid went into the summer top of the UEFA club coefficient rankings for the fourth straight season while Spain remains the dominant national association going into the 2017/18 campaign.
The associations' positions in the 2018/19 UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League access lists are determined on the basis of the associations' coefficients established at the finish of the 2016/17 campaign, on the basis of the associations' coefficients from seasons 2012/13 to 2016/17.
Real Madrid took over from Barcelona at the top of the rankings, based on five years' results in UEFA club competitions, after winning the 2013/14 UEFA Champions League. Their coefficient then was 161.542; it is now a record 176.999 as Madrid have opened up a gap of 22.100 points over second-placed Bayern München.
While Barcelona and Atlético Madrid remain third and fourth respectively, Juventus leapt four places to fifth while Chelsea dropped five to tenth following a season outside Europe. Sevilla were the only new entry to the top ten, rising six places to eighth as a 2011/12 UEFA Europa League play-off exit is replaced in the calculations by their run to this season's UEFA Champions League round of 16.
Manchester United's UEFA Europa League win lifted them from 20th to 15th while other big climbers are Monaco to 29th (+29), Beşiktaş to 43rd (+19), Rostov to 87th (+59), Hapoel Beer-Sheva to 150th (+125) and Dundalk to 237th (+159). Leicester City had not been in the rankings prior to this season after a European absence of more than five years, but are now 56th.
As for the country rankings, Spain overtook England in 2012/13 and now have a lead of more than 25 points over second-placed Germany. England maintained third place above Italy, with France up to fifth after both they and Russia, now sixth, leapfrogged Portugal.
Under the revised access lists for the revamped European club competitions from 2018, the top four nations in the association rankings will each receive four guaranteed places in the UEFA Champions League group stage while those countries ranked fifth and six gain two group berths plus a qualifying spot for the club finishing third.
FOR REFERENCE: the access list that has been used for allocation to the 2017/18 club competitions is based on the association club coefficient rankings at the end of 2015/16 (also taking into account seasons 2011/12, 2012/13, 2013/14 and 2014/15). The rankings including 2016/17 results will be used to decide allocations in 2018/19.
Seedings for UEFA national team competitions are decided by the UEFA National Team Coefficient Ranking: the latest version was released on 26 March and will next be used to seed the UEFA EURO 2020 qualifying draw and determine the inaugural UEFA Nations League divisions.
UEFA club coefficient rankings: last ten end-of-season leaders
Season: Leading club/Leading association
2016/17: Real Madrid/Spain
2015/16: Real Madrid/Spain
2014/15: Real Madrid/Spain
2013/14: Real Madrid/Spain
2012/13: Barcelona/Spain
2011/12: Barcelona/England
2010/11: Manchester United/England
2009/10: Barcelona/England
2008/09: Barcelona/England
2007/08: Chelsea/England
