English clubs endured a humbling week in the Champions League with not a single win recorded in six games, leaving fans wondering if fifth place will be enough for qualification
Nathan Ridley
19:50, 12 Mar 2026
Head coach Arne Slot of Liverpool
Arne Slot's faces a battle for Liverpool to earn Champions League qualification this season(Image: BSR Agency, Getty Images)
Six matches, not a single victory. That sums up the bleak picture for English teams in the Champions League this week.
Newcastle and Arsenal managed 1-1 stalemates against Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen, respectively, but things went downhill from there. Liverpool fell 1-0 to Galatasaray before Tottenham were hammered 5-2 by Atletico Madrid.
Midweek saw Chelsea succumb to Paris Saint-Germain by an identical margin, while Manchester City was shocked 3-0 by Real Madrid. The dismal run of form has left fans of teams battling for next season's Champions League spots - including Aston Villa, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool - questioning whether finishing fifth will suffice.
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According to UEFA regulations, the two countries with the strongest performance across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League receive an additional berth in Europe's elite tournament. Newcastle benefitted from this last term, with Chelsea currently positioned to claim fifth spot this season.
The positive news is that England maintains a substantial advantage at the summit of the coefficient rankings as of March 11. England remains the sole nation with all its clubs (nine) progressing to the knockout stages across all three tournaments.
Virgil Van Dijk of Liverpool FC expresses disappointment during the match. Galatasaray SK and Liverpool FC faced each other at UEFA Champions League 2025/26 League Round of 16 - 1st leg. The match took place in Ali Sami Yen Rams Park Stadium on March 10th, 2026. (Photo by Burak Basturk/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Liverpool lost 1-0 to Galatasary in the Champions League last-16 first leg(Image: Burak Basturk/Middle East Images/AFP via Getty Images)
Their tally of 22.513 sits comfortably ahead of Spain's 18.031 and Germany's 18.000. Nevertheless, poor performances next week as sides exit could see England's standing drop significantly.
This occurred during the 2023-24 season, with England having appeared poised to secure an additional place before a quarter-final stage collapse. It would, however, require a substantial effort from Spanish, German or Italian clubs to dislodge England from the top two.
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The knockout draws for all three competitions benefited Germany the most. Its four teams in the Champions League and Europa League were all placed in opposite brackets and wouldn't meet until the finals.
That's unlike Spain, who could see Barcelona take on Atletico in the Champions League quarter-finals. And in the semis of the Europa League, Celta Vigo could face Real Betis.
UEFA coefficient table (March 11).