Why Tottenham fans might want to cheer West Ham on in the Europa League

UEFA coefficients will hold an even greater importance for next season
Marc Mayo14 March 2024

West Ham face Freiburg in a bid to save their Europa League campaign tonight - and they may have a few more fans than usual cheering them on.

The Germans hold a one-goal lead ahead of the last-16 second leg at London Stadium.

Whoever progresses to the quarter-finals will deliver a useful boost to their nation’s coefficient score, the UEFA ranking used to determine the top leagues on the continent.

Next season’s revamped Champions League, expanding to 36 teams, will feature two extra qualifications spots for the nations which top this season’s ranking.

For the Premier League, that means fifth place will be ascend to the group stage.

Currently, Tottenham and Aston Villa are fighting it out for fourth and Villa hold a two-point advantage with ten games left to play, although Spurs possess an extra game in hand.

The UEFA coefficients currently have England missing out following poor performances in Europe by Newcastle and Manchester United.

Italy top the standings with 16.571 points, with Germany (15.928) second ahead of England (15.000) and France (14.146). For context, Italy and England topped last year’s table with scores of 23.000 and 22.357, with points awarded for each team’s results.

But there is plenty of time for things to change with Serie A sides Napoli and Inter Milan now out of the Champions League. Atalanta, AC Milan and Roma remain in the Europa League with Fiorentina among the Conference League favourites.

Germany still have Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Freiburg to rely on for points but West Ham knocking the latter out will severely limit their options.

For England, Manchester City and Arsenal remain in the Champions League with Brighton, Liverpool, Villa and West Ham also capable of going deep in their competitions.

While Spurs will no doubt want to secure a top-four spot to avoid any doubt of their spot in the tournament next year, there will be a reason to smile if West Ham prevail later - or, alternatively, perhaps the slightest silver lining for Hammers fans if they fail, knowing they have delivered a small blow to their London rivals.

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