How many Premier League teams can qualify for the Champions League next season?

The club football season is coming to an end and two of Europe’s top five leagues have found their champions (Bundesliga and Serie A), while the other three remain undecided.

Of these, the Premier League will have five automatic UEFA Champions League qualification places available at the end of the season, with Arsenal, Manchester City and most recently Manchester United having already booked their places in Europe’s top flight for next season.

How did the Premier League get five Champions League spots?

In the current campaign, England were awarded an extra place – the European Performance Spot (EPS) – after leading the UEFA coefficient rankings last season alongside Spain by a comfortable margin, and the same was the case for the 2026-2027 season.

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Liverpool and Aston Villa are fourth and fifth respectively in the Premier League with 58 points and are on course to play in the Champions League next season. Meanwhile, Bournemouth and Brentford are in the Europa League and Conference League places respectively.

How can the Premier League have a sixth team in the Champions League next season?

Villa will face Nottingham Forest in the semi-final of the Europa League, and if either side manages to win the competition they will receive an automatic place in next season’s Champions League, regardless of where they finish in the competition.

If Villa win the Europa League and finish fifth or lower, the next best-placed team will qualify for the EPS. But if it finishes fourth and wins the European title, no extra place will be awarded.

If Nottingham Forest (16th in the standings) win the Europa League, they will be the sixth team to play in the Champions League, just as Tottenham Hotspur featured in this edition of the competition.

Published on May 4, 2026