Finishing third in the league means Arsenal faces an uphill battle to reach the Champions League group stage.

This article delves into the complexities of the qualification process, exploring the various paths and potential obstacles Arsenal must overcome to achieve their European ambitions.

Like last season, Arsenal will have to navigate multiple challenges to qualify for the Champions League Group Stage

Finishing in third place in the league does not simplify the task of returning to Europe’s premier club tournament.

This will be the last season with the current format, as UEFA will introduce a league phase format and a second competition in 2025/26, mirroring the upcoming changes in the men’s Champions League.

There are three ways to qualify for the 16-team Group Stage.

Four teams qualify directly for the Group Stage: the title holders (Lyon or Barcelona), the D1 Arkema play-offs winners (Lyon or PSG), the Spanish Champions Barcelona, and the German Champions FC Bayern.

Should Barcelona win the 2023/24 WCL, or should Lyon win the 2023/24 WCL and the D1 Arkema play-offs, the fourth-ranked country’s champions, either City or Chelsea, would go straight to the Group Stage.

Seven teams qualify via the Champions path, where the champions from countries ranked fourth to 50th compete over two rounds for those seven spots. Manchester City or Chelsea will enter at the Qualifying Round 2.

Five teams will qualify via the League path, where Arsenal will compete, potentially over two rounds. The first round features a four-team semi-final and final format, while the second round is a home and away format. In the League path, teams can only meet those that finished second or third in their league.

The following six teams enter the League Path in Round 2: The France play-offs runner-up (PSG or Lyon), the German runner-up FC Bayern, the Spanish runner-up Real Madrid, the English runner-up (Chelsea or Manchester City), who cannot be drawn against Arsenal, the Italian runner-up Juventus, and the Swedish runner-up Hacken.

Should Arsenal advance to Round 2, unlike last season, they would be seeded as one of the top five clubs based on coefficient among the 10 teams in Round 2.

The following 16 teams enter the League Path in Round 1: The runner-ups from Czechia (Sparta Praha), Denmark, Portugal, Netherlands (Ajax), Norway (Rosenborg), Scotland, Austria, Ukraine, Iceland (Breidablik), and Belarus (FC Minsk). The third-placed teams from France (Paris FC or Reims), Germany (Frankfurt or Essen), Spain, England (Arsenal), Italy, and Sweden (Linkopings).

Arsenal, thanks to their strong coefficient, will be a top seed for the semi-final draw but will then face another top seed in the final should they win their semi-final.