La Liga had a fantastic night in Europe on Thursday, with both Athletic Club and Real Betis securing good results. Now things have gotten even better, with confirmation that Spain will have five clubs in next year’s Champions League.
The new format for Europe’s premier club competition gives the top two leagues in the coefficient an extra place in the Champions League. The Premier League secured this earlier in the week, and now La Liga has officially received the same, which Relevo confirms with La Liga president Javier Tebas.
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It has felt inevitable that La Liga would end up in the top two in the European coefficient, and after Thursday’s results, it has now been confirmed. Athletic’s progress in the Europa League, along with Betis’ results in the UEFA Conference League, had already placed the Spanish top division on the brink of securing their place. Lazio’s penalty shootout loss against Norwegian Bodø/Glimt finally made it official.
Last week, it was the Premier League that secured the fifth Premier League spot.
Villarreal and Betis in battle for fifth place
As it stands, Villarreal will play in the Champions League next season
This news is fantastic for Villarreal and Real Betis, who are the two teams fighting hardest for fifth place in La Liga. Teams like Celta Vigo and Mallorca are close, but have some catching up to do.
For now, Villarreal controls fifth place, after beating Betis 2-1 at Benito Villamarín in the previous round to take a three-point lead. They also have one game less played. But there is still a long way to go in the season, and nothing has been decided yet.
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Eight European spots for La Liga
In addition to the five Champions League places, La Liga is also guaranteed eight European places in total. Sixth and seventh place (currently Betis and Celta) will qualify for the Europa League, while eighth place (currently Mallorca) will earn a place in the UEFA Conference League.
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