Christian Pulisic’s AC Milan miss Champions League qualification: Updated 2025–26 Serie A standings after final round

AC Milan began the 2025-26 Serie A season with genuine momentum under newly appointed head coach Massimiliano Allegri, but the second half of the campaign unraveled badly. With USMNT star Christian Pulisic enduring a sharp dip in form, the Rossoneri fell short of their primary objective and will not be competing in the UEFA Champions League next season.

Heading into Matchday 38 of the 25-26 Serie A, Milan sat fourth in the table with 70 points, right on the edge of the qualification zone. Hosting 16th-placed Cagliari, who had 40 points and very little left to play for, a home victory would have confirmed the Rossoneri’s place in Europe’s premier club competition.

Alexis Saelemaekers gave Milan an ideal start by opening the scoring in just the second minute, but Gennaro Borrelli leveled for Cagliari in the 20th. Pulisic came on as a substitute for Santiago Gimenez, but Juan Rodriguez completed a stunning comeback for the visitors in the 57th minute, with goalkeeper Mike Maignan producing a series of important saves to prevent the scoreline from getting worse.

Final 2025-26 Serie A standings

The defeat sent Milan tumbling from fourth to fifth, costing them a Champions League spot and dropping them into Europa League territory instead. Inter Milan finished as champions with Napoli as runners-up, while AS Roma claimed third with 73 points and Como secured fourth with 71, earning UEFA Champions League soccer for the first time in the club’s history. Milan in fifth and Juventus in sixth claimed Europa League berths, while Atalanta in seventh will compete in the Conference League.

Pisa, Hellas Verona and Cremonese were the three relegated sides, with Pisa and Cremonese returning to Serie B after just one season in the top flight. Their replacements will come from Venezia, Frosinone and the winner of the ongoing playoff between Monza and Catanzaro.

Milan’s difficult second half of the season

Milan broke into the top four as early as Matchday 4 and remained there with Champions League qualification as the stated goal under Allegri from day one. Through the end of 2025, they were running neck and neck with Inter at the summit, separated by just one point with 16 games played.

Pulisic had even been named Serie A Player of the Month in September, and the addition of Luka Modric in midfield had raised genuine expectations for a deep run. However, form collapsed throughout 2026, and the final two months of the season were particularly brutal, with Milan collecting only two wins from eight games between April and May, suffering five defeats and one draw in that stretch.

That collapse cost Milan their top-four place for the first time since Matchday 4, and the financial consequences will be significant. According to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the failure to qualify for the Champions League will reduce Milan’s transfer market firepower by roughly €100 million ($117M). Modric is now widely expected to move on, a broader squad rebuild is anticipated, and Pulisic’s future, having gone scoreless throughout all of 2026, will also be subject to serious scrutiny.