It is now confirmed that Atalanta, Bologna, Juventus, Milan and Inter qualify for the 2024-25 Champions League, but it is still possible Serie A could get a sixth slot.
La Dea got the three points they needed this evening with a 2-0 victory away to Lecce at the Stadio Via del Mare, which guaranteed their place in the top five.
It is a return to the Champions League after a three-year absence for the Bergamo boys, who are gearing up for Wednesday’s Europa League Final against Bayer Leverkusen.
That means Atalanta cannot be caught by Roma and Lazio, so the confirmed Italian entries for the Champions League are Inter, Milan, Juventus, Bologna and Atalanta.
Serie A still in with chance of six slots
However, it is still possible for Italy to have a sixth place in the new, expanded tournament, but only if certain conditions are met.
They need Atalanta to win the Europa League Final on May 22, but also to finish in fifth place.
If Atalanta manage to overtake Bologna or Juventus into fourth, then victory in the Europa League will become irrelevant.
This is because the ‘extra’ slot rules were drawn up before the season began and go to a team who finish outside the top four in Serie A.
As it happens, Serie A already managed to get a fifth bonus slot thanks to their superior club ranking, so does not ‘count’ for calculating the Europa League victor’s qualification.