Champions League: How many points do Serie A clubs need to advance?
The Champions League Round 6 is in the history books, and we take a look at how many points Atalanta, Inter, Juventus and Napoli need to qualify for the next phase.
Juventus and Atalanta beat Pafos and Chelsea, respectively, in the latest round of the league phase of the Champions League, while Inter lost at home against Liverpool and Napoli were beaten by Benfica.
Currently, the best-ranked Serie A club in the Champions League table is Atalanta with 13 points, one more than Inter.
Champions League: Atalanta, Inter, Juventus and Napoli overview
Oddly, La Dea are the lowest-ranked in Serie A among the clubs competing in this season’s Champions League, as they sit 5th in the European competition and 12th domestically.
As reported by Gazzetta, Atalanta are already qualified for the knockout playoff, but with 13 points in six games, they have the destiny in their hands. With two wins in the remaining matches against Athletic Club (home) and Union Saint-Gilloise (away), Atalanta will surely qualify for the Round of 16, finishing in the top eight.
Inter, on the other hand, have 12 points, they sit sixth, but still need one point to have the certainty to qualify for the knockout playoff. Their next two games are against Arsenal (at home) and Borussia Dortmund (away), and the Nerazzurri would need to win both, possibly increasing their goal difference, to qualify for the Round of 16.
Juventus have won two consecutive matches against Bodo/Glimt and Pafos. They need one more against Benfica (at home) or Monaco (away) in January 2026 to be mathematically certain to be in the knockout playoff. Juventus currently sit 17th, and even if the top eight is just three points away, the Bianconeri would need two wins in the remaining matches and negative results from most of the teams above them in the table, so their destiny is not entirely in their hands.
Lastly, Napoli, the Serie A table leaders, but the lowest-ranked Italian team in the Champions League. The Partenopei have lost three European games from three away, conceding ten goals. They are currently ranked 23rd, and their next opponents are Copenhagen away and Chelsea at home. Copenhagen also have seven points, so a win would boost the Partenopei’s hopes to qualify for the knockout playoff, but won’t necessarily grant them a spot in the next phase with a game to spare, given that 11 points were necessary to qualify for the knockout playoff in 2024-25.
Champions League standings after Round 6
| Rank | Teams | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Goal difference | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Arsenal | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 18 |
| 2 | Bayern | 6 | 5 | 0 | 1 | 11 | 15 |
| 3 | PSG | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 13 |
| 4 | Man City | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 6 | 13 |
| 5 | Atalanta | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 13 |
| 6 | Inter | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 8 | 12 |
| 7 | Real Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 12 |
| 8 | Atl. Madrid | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 9 | Liverpool | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 12 |
| 10 | Dortmund | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 11 | Tottenham | 6 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 11 |
| 12 | Newcastle | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 7 | 10 |
| 13 | Chelsea | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 10 |
| 14 | Sporting | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 |
| 15 | Barcelona | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 10 |
| 16 | Marseille | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 9 |
| 17 | Juventus | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 9 |
| 18 | Galatasaray | 6 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 9 |
| 19 | Monaco | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -1 | 9 |
| 20 | Leverkusen | 6 | 2 | 3 | 1 | -2 | 9 |
| 21 | PSV | 6 | 2 | 2 | 2 | 4 | 8 |
| 22 | Qarabağ | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -3 | 7 |
| 23 | Napoli | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -5 | 7 |
| 24 | København | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | -6 | 7 |
| 25 | Benfica | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -2 | 6 |
| 26 | Pafos | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | -5 | 6 |
| 27 | Union SG | 6 | 2 | 0 | 4 | -8 | 6 |
| 28 | Athletic | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -5 | 5 |
| 29 | Olympiacos | 6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | -7 | 5 |
| 30 | Club Brugge | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | 4 |
| 31 | Frankfurt | 6 | 1 | 1 | 4 | -8 | 4 |
| 32 | Bodø/Glimt | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -4 | 3 |
| 33 | Slavia Praha | 6 | 0 | 3 | 3 | -9 | 3 |
| 34 | Ajax | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | -13 | 3 |
| 35 | Villarreal | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -9 | 1 |
| 36 | Kairat | 6 | 0 | 1 | 5 | -11 | 1 |