If Serie A teams involved in European competitions manage to finish in the first or second position in the club rankings, Italy would be entitled to an “extra slot.” But the innovations don’t stop there.
Five Italian teams in the Champions League. An ambitious goal that could become a reality in the 2024-2025 season.
Starting from the next season, Europe’s most prestigious tournament will feature a different format, without group stages and with 36 participating teams. In the new Champions League, its initial phase will resemble a single league, where each club will play at least 8 matches against different opponents determined through draws.
After this stage (scheduled from September to January), the top eight teams in the overall standings will directly qualify for the round of 16, while teams ranked between ninth and twenty-fourth will compete in the round of 32.
FIVE ITALIAN TEAMS: HERE’S HOW—
Beyond the new format, the main change in the Champions League is the expansion from 32 to 36 participants. This means that the doors of the competition will be open to four more teams, and two of these will be selected based on the ranking of individual football leagues.
Consequently, if Italy manages to finish the 2023-2024 season in first or second place in the club ranking, it would earn an “extra slot” in the Champions League, which would go to the fifth-placed team in Serie A.
Achieving this goal won’t be easy, although it doesn’t necessarily depend on European success. “All it would take,” in fact, is to repeat the feat of May 2023 when Italy had three finalists (Fiorentina, Roma, and Inter) and two semi-finalists (Juventus and Milan) in the European competitions.
