Italian football still holds onto its hopes of securing a fifth Champions League place for the upcoming season, albeit by a narrow margin. The journey to achieving this goal is complex and relies on an intricate series of results.
Qualification hinges on UEFA’s in-season coefficient ranking, which assesses whether an additional Champions League spot can be granted to a fifth club from a given nation, as highlighted by the Gazzetta dello Sport.
ROME, ITALY – FEBRUARY 22: AS Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini observes the Serie A match between AS Roma and US Cremonese at Stadio Olimpico on February 22, 2026, in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
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Currently, Italy ranks fourth in the UEFA ranking table, trailing England, Spain, and Germany, with Portugal close behind.
The silver lining is that amid this week’s European results, despite Atalanta’s significant loss to Bayern Munich, Italy managed to reduce its gap with the teams above and extend its lead over Portugal.
Recent updates to the standings are offering a bit more optimism than they did just a day prior.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 12: Lorenzo Pellegrini of Serie A club AS Roma celebrates after scoring the first goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Bologna FC 1909 and AS Roma at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on March 12, 2026, in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
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Serie A clubs face tough challenge for 5th Champions League spot
On the flip side, the situation has some structural challenges.
Among the four Serie A teams still competing in European tournaments, realistically only two are expected to advance to the next round.
Atalanta has a daunting task ahead, needing to overcome a 6-1 deficit against Bayern. Meanwhile, the Europa League tie between Bologna and Roma will ensure that one Italian club is eliminated, regardless of the outcome. Fiorentina, on the other hand, seems to have the most manageable path to progress after their 2-1 victory over Rakow.
The primary competition comes from Spain, where clubs like Atletico Madrid and Real Madrid hold strong positions in both the Champions League and Europa League.
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Germany presents a more complex picture, which may offer Italy a more feasible target to pursue.
In a week’s time, the true landscape will become clearer as the round of sixteen concludes. For the moment, while the fifth spot appears challenging, it remains a possibility.