Spain, Italy and England keep four Champions League spots

Spain, Italy and England will again be entitled to enter four teams in next season's Champions League, while this year's Portuguese champions will gain automatic access to the group stage, UEFA has said.

European soccer's governing body issued its latest coefficient ranking list, which is based on performances over the last five years.

Spain, which has dominated the competition in recent seasons, lead the way, ahead of Italy, England, Germany, France, Greece and the Netherlands.

The top three will be entitled to enter their domestic champions and runners-up into the Champions League, with the third and fourth-placed teams going into the third qualifying round.

Greece, for the first time, joins Germany and France in having three entries, with the Netherlands losing a slot and dropping to two.

The biggest change in the rankings comes for Israel, who have jumped eight places to 18th, allowing their champions to go directly into the competition's second qualifying round, instead of the first.

Portugal's automatic entry to the group stage comes at the expense of 10th-placed Russia, whom they have leapfrogged in the rankings. But Russia could still get an automatic entrant, depending on who wins the final at Manchester United's Old Trafford stadium next May.

Next season's Champions League will have a new format, with a 32-team single group phase followed by a 16-team knockout phase.

European soccer's governing body said the access list for next season's UEFA Cup would not be announced until a decision was taken on the competition's future format.

Discussions over a new format are ongoing between UEFA and Europe's major clubs within the newly formed European Club Forum. A decision is expected to be made in December.