SPFL winner and the Villarreal Situation explained in full

The winners of the SPFL Premiership will only miss out on a Champions League group place if Villarreal win this season’s competition AND Russia is readmitted into UEFA. 

Villarreal have worked their way into the last four of this season’s competition but have virtually no chance of matching that in La Liga where Real Madrid, Barcelona, Sevilla and Atletico Madrid currently hold the top four places providing group stage access to next season’s Champions League. 

Atletico are vulnerable to Real Betis and Real Sociedad, tonight they are looking to turn around a 1-0 deficit on Manchester City to join Villarreal in the last four of this season’s competition. 

UEFA reserve places in the group stage for the winners of the Champions League and Europa League, the Champions League winner would give their country a fifth team while if the Europa League winner hasn’t already qualified they will replace the third placed team in the fifth rated nation, France.  

Breaking things down, The Sun explains: 

Where is the SPFL in the coefficient rankings?

The SPFL currently sits ELEVENTH in Uefa’s country co-efficient rankings for access into 2022-23, even though we have climbed to EIGHTH in the rankings which govern Euro spots for 2023-24.

That would be enough to give our champions the final automatic group stage spot allocated by league position – assuming that no team that hasn’t qualified by league position earns that spot by winning either the Champions League or Europa League

But what about the Russia situation?

We have to remember that Russia (who sit eighth in those 2022-23 lists) is currently expelled from European competitions by Uefa.

So as long as they aren’t re-admitted in time for the qualifying campaign in July – almost impossible given the state of the invasion of Ukraine – we are now essentially TENTH on those lists.

And as we told you last month, that almost certainly means a GUARANTEED spot for this year’s SPFL champions – whatever Villarreal do.

And there is also good news for the SECOND placed Scottish team, as they would only have to make it through TWO rounds of qualifying, rather than three.

Celtic, for instance, lost out to Midtjylland of Denmark in the second round of qualifying.

But what happens if Villarreal win the Champions League and, say, Braga win the Europa League but don’t qualify for the Champions League by league position?

The winners of the Europa League claim an automatic group stage spot in the Champions League.

But that spot would come at the expense of the third placed finisher in the fifth league, currently France, and not the champions of Scotland.

Villarreal, as impressive as their results have been, would still almost certainly have to get past Liverpool and then either Manchester City or Real Madrid. It’s no easy feat.

Benfica aren’t likely to earn a direct place through their league position but their Champions League interest is likely to end at Anfield tonight after losing 3-1 at home to Liverpool.