“Everything that has happened until now is my sole responsibility,” said Napoli president Aurelio De Laurentiis, addressing the media after his club’s scoreless draw to Monza. “Therefore, none of the blame must lie on the players or the coaches, but they are my faults for which I assume full responsibility. And therefore, for this very reason, I must somehow apologize to Neapolitans and especially to all Napoli fans if we are where we are in the standings. But, I think the season is long and therefore we will use the transfer market to make up for lost time.”
Napoli have since acquired full back Pasquale Mazzocchi from Salernitana, while completion of the transfers of Hamed Junior Traorè and Cyril Ngonge (from Bournemouth and Hellas Verona, respectively) seem imminent. The Parternopei are also linked to a host of central defenders and midfielders.
With the transfers, Napoli hope to work their way back up the table to qualify for the 2024/25 edition of the UEFA Champions League which, for the time being, has a reformed structure. Though they are currently 8th in the table, the Azzurri are only three points behind 4th-placed Fiorentina and two points behind 5th-placed Atalanta though 19 rounds. Under the new format, the 5th-placed side could qualify for the Champions League. Napoli also hope the changes can help them get past Barcelona in the Round of 16 of the Champions League in February. That tie could also have implications for the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup.
The fifth Champions League qualification position depends on the UEFA Association Club Coefficient point system, while European qualification for the FIFA Club World Cup depends on the UEFA Club Coefficient point system. Forza Napoli Press explains how the different coefficients work.
New UEFA Champions League Format
On the 22nd of May, 2022, the UEFA Executive Committee unanimously approved a proposal to change the format of the Champions League, replacing the current 32-team Group Stage with a 36-team League Phase. Thus, four additional clubs will qualify for the Champions League.
Per UEFA, the four additional spots will be allocated to the following clubs:
- The 3rd-placed team in the associated ranked fifth in UEFA association club coefficient rankings;
- A fifth club qualifying via the Champions Path; and
- The two associations with the highest average association club coefficient from the current season.
UEFA Association Club Coefficient Point System
UEFA Association Club Coefficients are calculated using the following points system.
2 – All wins from group stage (UCL, UEL, UECL)
1 – All wins in qualifying and play-off matches (UCL, UEL, UECL)
1 – All draws from group stage (UCL, UEL, UECL)
0.5 – All draws in qualifying and play-off matches (UCL, UEL, UECL)
4 – Group stage bonus participation (UCL)
4 – Round of 16 bonus participation (UCL)
4 – Group winners (UEL)
2 – Group runners-up (UEL)
2 – Group winners (UECL)
1 – Group runners-up (UECL)
1 – Each round clubs reach from the round of 16 (UCL, UEL)
1 – Each round clubs reach from the semi-finals (UECL)
With all seven Serie A clubs advancing from the Group Stages of their respective European competitions, Italy leads the race for an additional Champions League position, followed by Germany.
Maintaining top position will be difficult, given the distribution of clubs remaining in the European club competitions:
- Serie A: UCL – Inter, Lazio, Napoli; UEL – Milan, Roma; UECL – Atalanta, Fiorentina;
- Germany: UCL – Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund; UEL – Bayer Leverkusen, Freiburg; UECL – Eintracht Frankfurt;
- England: UCL – Arsenal, Manchester City; UEL – Brighton, Liverpool, West Ham; UECL – Aston Villa; and
- Spain: UCL – Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Real Sociedad; UEL – Villareal.
UEFA Club World Cup
The revamped FIFA Club World Cup kicks off in 2025. Under the new format, the 32-team competition will be contested every four years. Europe will be allotted 12 teams, comprised of the four most recent Champions League winners (Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester City and the 2023/24 winner) and the eight clubs with highest cumulative UEFA Club Coefficients over the past four seasons. However, no federation will be permitted more than two clubs, unless clubs from that federation have won more than two of the last four Champions League competitions. For instance, if Arsenal win the 2023/24 Champions League, England would have three participants in the Club World Cup (Chelsea, Manchester City and Arsenal).
UEFA Club Coefficient Point System
Since the inception of the UEFA Conference League in 2021, annual club coefficients have been calculated using the following points system.
UEFA Champions League points
2 – All wins from group stage onwards
1 – All draws from group stage onwards
4 – Group stage participation bonus
4 – Round of 16 participation bonus
1 – Each round clubs reach from the round of 16
European qualification to the Club World Cup will be based on UEFA coefficients, but applied only to Champions League matches over the four seasons from 2020/21 to 2023/24.
Napoli’s UEFA Club Coefficient
Using this point system, Napoli have earned 41 points since the start of the 2020/21 campaign, calculated as follows.
2020/21 and 2021/22
- Did not play in the Champions League
2022/23
- 7 wins from Group Stage onward – 14 points
- 1 draw from the Group Stage onward – 1 point
- Group Stage participation bonus – 4 points
- Round of 16 participation bonus – 4 points
- 2 rounds reached from the Round of 16 – 2 points
- 2022/33 Subtotal – 25 points
2023/24 (to date)
- 3 wins from Group Stage onward – 6 points
- 1 draw from the Group Stage onward – 1 point
- Group Stage participation bonus – 4 points
- Round of 16 participation bonus – 4 points
- 1 rounds reached from the Round of 16 – 1 points
- 2023/24 Subtotal – 16 points
UEFA Club Coefficient Rankings since the 2020/21 Campaign
Applying this methodology to all European clubs produces the below rankings. In addition to the previous three Champions League winners, Bayern Munich, Paris St Germain, Inter Milan, FC Porto and Benfica have already mathematically qualified for the Club World Cup. Liverpool cannot qualify as two English clubs have already guaranteed their places by winning the Champions League over the past three competitions. Lazio, Copenhagen, Arsenal, Real Sociedad and PSV can only qualify by winning the 2023/24 Champions League.
That leaves three European positions remaining. Juventus are currently 7 points clear of Napoli. Thus, the Azzurri must defeat Barcelona in the Round of 16 to have any chance of qualifying for the Club World Cup. For instance, with a win at the Maradona and a draw in Spain, Napoli would earn 4 points (2 for the win, 1 for the draw and 1 for advancing to the Quarter-finals) and remain 3 points behind Juventus.
With Barcelona also having a difficult season, Napoli are only slight underdogs to advance to the Quarter-finals, which means Club World Cup qualification remains a realistic possibility.
