Overview
- UEFA confirmed Spain’s extra berth after Rayo Vallecano beat Strasbourg to reach the Conference League final, with a stoppage-time penalty save preserving a 1-0 second leg that sealed the coefficient edge over Germany.
- Real Betis sits fifth in La Liga with four matches left and holds a six-point lead over sixth-place Celta Vigo, putting Manuel Pellegrini’s team on track to take the new spot.
- England had already claimed the other bonus entry under the expanded 36-team Champions League format.
- Germany remains on four league-phase places unless SC Freiburg wins the Europa League against Aston Villa on May 20 in Istanbul, which would add a Bundesliga entrant via the titleholder path.
- The revamped system awards two bonus places to the top two national associations based on combined results across the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League, with recent recipients including Borussia Dortmund, Bologna, Newcastle, and Villarreal.