The group stage of the Champions League 2017/18 so far

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Bayern became the first team mathematically qualified for the group stage of the next edition of the UEFA Champions League this past weekend. UEFA.com takes a look at the clubs would accompany you if the season is over.

 

What would be the group stage of the 2017/18 UEFA Champions League if national competitions ended now? That's how things are.

While ten teams will make their way through qualifying rounds during the summer, and the winner of this season's UEFA Europa League will also have their place, there are 21 clubs that, as things stand, would have secured their place In the UEFA Champions League group stage.

ESP: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Atletico Madrid
GER: Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Hoffenheim
ENG: Chelsea, Tottenham Hotspur, Liverpool
ITA: Juventus, Roma
BY: Benfica, Oporto
FRA: Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain
RUS: Spartak from Moscow
UKR: Shakhtar Donetsk
BEL: Anderlecht
NED: Feyenoord
TUR: Beşiktaş
SUI: Basel

Yellow = Already has a space.

Ten places in the group stage will be decided through the qualifying phase that will take place in summer, and the champions of this course in both the Champions League and the UEFA Europa League will also affect the list of qualifiers. At the moment these 21 teams would be the classified for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League of the next campaign.

 

At the moment in which these lines are written, only Bayern is guaranteed their classification. The 4-1 victory against Dortmund leaves them 18 points out of the fourth with six games to go. Since Dortmund have yet to play against Hoffenheim, which is a point above in third place, it is impossible for them to outdo Bayern.

 

Underneath Bayern, Leipzig and Hoffenheim are on their way to making their debut in Europe's biggest club level competition, starting in the group stage. In fact, there will be a total of eight teams that have not been in the group stage this season: Leipzig, Hoffenheim, Chelsea, Liverpool, Roma, Shakhtar, Anderlecht and Feyenoord.

On the other hand, among the teams that would seek to play the play-off would be Sevilla, Manchester City, Dortmund, Naples, Sporting CP, Nice and Ajax. Leicester City, one of the eight quarter-finalists of the UEFA Champions League, is not in a good position to hope to return to European competition, unless it raises the trophy in June.

* All based on provisional classifications on 13 April 2017 with the list decided according to the UEFA ranking of club competitions at the end of the 2015/16 campaign. UEFA Champions League contenders will be confirmed by UEFA in the summer.

A new classification system for club competitions will start in the 2018/19 season with the four countries with the best coefficient (Spain, Germany, England and Italy) that will receive four automatic seats for the UEFA Champions League group stage.