As we talk about players targeting Champions League clubs this summer (as well as the changes happening on the European landscape), it might be a good time to take a look at which teams are booking spots in the 2012-13 competition.
As of now, the top 12 leagues in Europe qualify at least one club straight into group stage. With the bigger leagues guaranteed up to three spots in group stage, there are 21 automatic births in play.
As of this weekend, four of those 21 spots have been claimed. Olympiacos has won the Greek League. Real Madrid and Barcelona aren’t going to be caught in Spain, while Manchester United has assured themselves of a top three finish in England.
Here are how the races for those automatic spots currently stand. Teams in italics are in line for a place in the qualifying rounds, while teams in bold also qualified for 2011-12’s group stage:
| England (3 group stage spots plus one play-in qualifier) | Spain (3 group stage spots plus one play-in qualifier) |
| 1. Manchester United: 79 points, 32 games 2. Manchester City: 71 pts, 32 gp 3. Arsenal: 61 pts, 32 gp 4. Tottenham: 59 pts, 59 gp | 1. Real Madrid: 79 points, 31 games 2. Barcelona: 75 pts, 31 gp 3. Malaga: 50 pts, 31 gp 4. Valencia: 49 pts, 31 gp |
| Germany (3 + 1) | Italy (2 + 1) |
| 1. Borussia Dortmund: 66 pts, 29 gp 2. Bayern Munich: 63 pts, 29 gp 3. Schalke: 57 pts, 29 gp 4. Borussia Moenchengladbach: 52 pts, 29 gp | 1. Juventus: 65 pts, 31 gp 2. Milan: 64 pts, 31 gp 3. Lazio: 54 pts, 31 gp |
| France (2 + 1) | Portugal (2 + 1) |
| 1. Montpellier: 63 pts, 30 gp 2. Paris Saint-Germain: 63 pts, 31 gp 3. Lille: 56 pts, 31 gp | 1. Porto: 63 pts, 26 gp 2. Benfica: 59 pts, 26 gp 3. Sporting Braga: 59 pts, 26 gp |
| Russia (1 + 1) | Ukraine (1 + 1) |
| 1. Zenit: 77 pts, 38 gp 2. CSKA Moscow: 66 pts, 38 gp | 1. Shakhtar Donetsk: 67 pts, 26 gp 2. Dynamo Kyiv: 67 pts, 26 gp |
| Netherlands (1 + 1) | Turkey (1 + 1) |
| 1. Ajax: 58 pts, 28 gp 2. AZ Alkmaar: 57 pts, 28 gp | 1. Galatasaray: 39 (adjusted) pts, 34 gp 2. Fenerbahce: 34 pts, 34 gp Turkey has entered its four-team playoff round, where qualifiers’ season point totals are halved ahead of the six-match, home-and-home round-robin. |
| Greece (1 + 1) | Denmark (1 + 1) |
| 1. Olympiacos - 67 points, 28 games 2-3. Panathinaikos, Atromitos, PAOK, and AEK will enter a six-match playoff round after season | 1. Copenhagen - 52 points, 25 games 2. FC Nordsjaelland (-6, 8) |
Should the Champions League’s winner otherwise qualify for group stage via their league finish, Belgium’s would become a 1+1 league. For now, it along with Romania and Scotland’s leagues get two play-in spots.
