Spain earns bonus 5th Champions League entry with Real Betis in line to benefit

GENEVA (AP) — Spain has clinched a bonus fifth entry into the Champions League next season, UEFA confirmed Friday, with Real Betis on course to earn the spot through the La Liga standings.

Rayo Vallecano’s win against Strasbourg in the Conference League semifinals Thursday gave Spain an insurmountable edge over Germany in the race for an extra Champions League place.

Since the Champions League was revamped into a 36-team format in 2024, UEFA has awarded bonus entries to the two countries whose teams have the best collective record across the three European competitions in the previous season.

Standings leader England had already clinched the first bonus entry for next season’s Champions League, which is worth tens of millions of euros (dollars) in prize money to that club.

Spain and Germany had been in a tight race for the second spot.

Real Betis is fifth in La Liga with four rounds left and is six points ahead of Celta Vigo in sixth.

Betis played just one season in the Champions League 20 years ago, failing to advance from the group stage behind Liverpool and Chelsea.

The Champions League bonus entries went to Borussia Dortmund of Germany and Bologna of Italy for the 2024-25 season. This campaign it was Newcastle and Villarreal.

England could yet have a record-tying six entries in the next Champions League just as it did this season.

The Europa League winner gets a direct entry to the next Champions League, and Aston Villa will play in the final against Freiburg on May 20 in Istanbul.

Villa is fifth in the Premier League with three rounds left. If coach Unai Emery’s team finishes fifth and win the Europa League, then the sixth-place team in the Premier League will get the UEFA bonus entry. Bournemouth is currently sixth and would be a debutant in Europe.

Last season, Tottenham won the Europa League and entered the Champions League despite placing 17th in the Premier League.

England and Spain also will contest the Conference League final. Crystal Palace and Rayo Vallecano play for the third-tier title on May 27 in Leipzig, Germany. The winner gets direct entry to the Europa League next season.

AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer

Rayo Vallecano players celebrate their victory at the Conference League semifinal second leg soccer match between Strasbourg and Rayo Vallecano, in Strasbourg, eastern France, Thursday, May 7, 2026. (AP Photo/Antonin Utz)

Real Betis players celebrate after scoring during a La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Real Madrid in Seville, Spain, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

Betis' Isco passes the ball in front of Real Madrid's Manuel Ángel during a La Liga soccer match between Real Betis and Real Madrid in Seville, Spain, Friday, April 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Jose Breton)

TOKYO (AP) — Nintendo’s annual profit surged 52% in the last fiscal year, lifted by solid sales of its Switch 2 machines and software.

The Japanese video-game company behind the Super Mario and Pokemon franchises announced it was raising prices, citing challenging business conditions.

It recorded a 424 billion yen ($2.7 billion) net profit for the fiscal year that ended in March, up from nearly 279 billion yen the year before.

Annual sales rose 99% to 2.3 trillion yen ($15 billion) from 1.2 trillion yen a year earlier, as demand for Switch 2 held up, although sales for the first-generation Switch declined.

Nintendo said it was raising the Switch 2 price in Japan to 59,980 yen ($382), effective May 25, from 49,980 yen ($318), “in light of changes in market conditions, and after considering the global business outlook.”

In the U.S., the price will rise to $499.99 in September, from $449.99.

Nintendo, which is based in the ancient Japanese capital of Kyoto, did not go into details. But all major Japanese exporters are having to cope with U.S. President Donald Trump’s tariff hikes and other higher costs that have been worsened by the war in Iran.

Nintendo Co., which did not break down quarterly results, expects an 11% decline in profit for the fiscal year through March 2027, to 2.1 trillion yen ($13 billion). The projection takes into account the planned price hikes.

On the plus side, Nintendo’s film “The Super Mario Galaxy Movie” has grossed more than $800 million since its release a month ago.

Among its recent successful game software offerings were “Mario Kart World” and “Donkey Kong Bananza.”

The game “Tomodachi Life: Living the Dream” has sold more than 3.8 million units since going on sale two weeks ago.

Nintendo expects to sell 16.5 million Switch 2 machines in the fiscal year through March 2027, down nearly 17% from 19.86 million in the last fiscal year. It also forecast that Switch 2 software sales will continue to grow, at 60 million, up 23% from 48.7.

It’s common for game machines to sell briskly right after they are launched and then see sales decline. Game software tends to continue growing. The Switch is a hybrid game machine, functioning both as a home console connected to a display, or as a portable handheld.

Nintendo promised more software titles for the Switch 2 this year, including from other creators, including the latest “Final Fantasy.”

Nintendo’s stock price jumped 3.6% after earnings were announced.

Yuri Kageyama is on Threads: https://www.threads.com/@yurikageyama

FILE - A Nintendo sign is seen outside Nintendo's official store in the Shibuya district of Tokyo, Jan. 23, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)