Context:

As the 2024/25 Premier League season nears its conclusion, clubs in the top half of the table are intensely competing for European qualifications. The Premier League has secured five spots for the UEFA Champions League, thanks to England's high UEFA coefficient ranking, allowing an additional team to qualify beyond the usual top four. In addition to Champions League spots, clubs are also battling for places in the Europa League and Europa Conference League. Notably, the winners of the FA Cup and EFL Cup have opportunities to qualify for these European tournaments, affecting the distribution of qualifying spots based on their table positions. Any Premier League club that wins a European competition will gain automatic qualification to the higher-tier competition, potentially increasing the total number of English teams participating in the UEFA Champions League to six.

Dive Deeper:

• Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle, and Chelsea are the top contenders for the UEFA Champions League, with Liverpool leading the standings and securing a place as the title winners.

• Aston Villa is positioned to qualify for the Europa League, while Nottingham Forest is set to enter the Europa Conference League, contingent on their final league positions.

• Brentford, Brighton, and Bournemouth remain in contention for European qualification, hoping to capitalize on any shifts in the standings or additional qualification pathways.

• The Premier League's high UEFA coefficient ranking has secured an additional fifth spot in the Champions League, allowing more teams to compete at the highest European level.

• The winners of domestic cups, such as the FA Cup and EFL Cup, have opportunities for automatic European qualification, which can influence the allocation of spots to other teams based on their league positions.

• If a team wins a European competition and has already qualified through the league, their spot will transfer to the next highest-ranked team that hasn't qualified, ensuring more clubs have chances for international play.

• Kyle Bonn, a seasoned soccer journalist, provides insights into the complexities of European qualification, highlighting the impact of domestic performance and competition victories on the Premier League's international representation.

• Over the final few months of the season, clubs through the top half of the Premier League table will be battling for European places as they compete in domestic league action.

• Aside from the eventual title winners, four other clubs will earn passage to Europe's top competition, the UEFA Champions League, while at least four other clubs will qualify for the Europa League and Europa Conference League.

• England's high UEFA coefficient ranking has secured a fifth Champions League spot, one more than the usual top four entry spots.

• The Sporting News brings you a look at which clubs are seeking spots in each various competition.

• MORE: Premier League schedule for 2024/25 | Latest Premier League top scorer rankings

• Which Premier League teams have qualified for Europe?

  Here is a breakdown of the Premier League teams seeking to qualify for Europe in 2025/26.

• Rankings and places updated as of Saturday, May 10, 2025.

• Champions League

  Pos	Club	GP	Pts	W-D-L	GD
  1.	Liverpool (C)	35	82	25-7-3	+46
  2.	Arsenal	35	67	18-13-4	+33
  3.	Man City	36	65	19-8-9	+24
  4.	Newcastle	35	63	19-6-10	+21
  5	Chelsea	35	63	18-9-8	+21

  Europa League

  Pos	Club	GP	Pts	W-D-L	GD
  6.	Aston Villa	36	63	18-9-9	+7

  Conference League

  Pos	Club	GP	Pts	W-D-L	GD
  7.	Nottingham Forest	35	61	18-7-10	+12

  Outside the qualifying positions — In the hunt

  Pos	Club	GP	Pts	W-D-L	GD
  8.	Brentford	36	55	16-7-13	+10
  9.	Brighton	36	55	14-13-9	+3
  10.	Bournemouth	36	53	14-11-11	+12

  There are a few things to keep in mind that would affect this qualifying setup:

• • The winner of each European competition in 2024/25 will earn an automatic berth in the competition above the one they won. IF a Premier League club wins a European competition and has already automatically qualified via the table, their place will fall to the next club which has not already qualified for the indicated competition.
    • A total of six Premier League clubs theoretically COULD qualify for the Champions League, with the additional fifth-place slot and either Tottenham or Manchester United winning the Europa League this season.
  • The winners of the 2024/25 FA Cup will qualify automatically for the Europa League league phase. IF the winner of the FA Cup has already qualified for the Champions League or Europa League via table position, this qualifying position will fall to the next-highest team in the table not to have qualified for the Europa League.
  • Newcastle won the 2024/25 EFL Cup meaning they have an automatic route into the Europa Conference League league phase. If Newcastle qualify for the Champions League or Europa League via table position, their Conference League spot will fall to the next-highest team in the table not to have qualified for the Europa League.