- England guaranteed at least five Champions League spots next season
- Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid secures England’s fifth place
- Additional spots possible if Aston Villa wins the Champions League
England is guaranteed at least five teams in the Champions League next season following Arsenal’s win over Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
One victory in any of the three European competitions would have secured England’s fifth spot in the competition.
Two additional spots are granted to countries based on their position in UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
Liverpool and Arsenal are likely to finish in the top positions in the Premier League, with teams like Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brighton, and Bournemouth (who are in 10th place) all within 12 points of each other.
England could have as many as seven teams in the 2025-26 Champions League if Aston Villa wins the competition this year but doesn’t qualify through the Premier League, and if either Manchester United or Tottenham wins the Europa League.
Italy ranks second in the coefficient table, followed by Spain and Germany. How do countries earn an additional Champions League spot for the following season?
A country’s league earns a coefficient ranking based on its teams’ performances in UEFA’s three major club competitions: the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
Coefficient points are awarded for match results—two for a win and one for a draw.
Points earned by clubs from the same league are totaled and divided by the number of teams the league has in European competitions.
For example, if the Premier League earns 100 points, this would be divided by the seven teams representing England in European competitions, giving England a coefficient of 14.28.
This season, bonus points are available for clubs playing in the Champions League, which benefits leagues with more clubs in the competition, such as Germany and Italy.
The top two countries in the coefficient rankings earn an extra Champions League spot for the following season.
These spots are awarded to the teams that finish immediately below the standard Champions League qualification places in those leagues.
In the Premier League, the top four teams automatically qualify for the Champions League, so any additional spot would go to the fifth-place team.
For the 2024-25 Champions League, additional spots were given to Bologna and Borussia Dortmund, who finished fifth in Serie A and the Bundesliga, respectively.
What about the Europa League winners?
England could potentially have seven teams in the Champions League next season.
The winners of both the Champions League and Europa League are granted a spot in the Champions League.
Previously, a league could have no more than five teams in the Champions League, but that rule has now been removed.
This season, any team that wins the Europa League or Champions League but doesn’t qualify through their domestic league will earn a spot in the Champions League.
If Aston Villa wins the Champions League but finishes outside the top five in the Premier League, it will open up an additional spot for English clubs.
Also, Manchester United and Tottenham, both currently in the lower half of the Premier League, are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League. If either team wins the tournament, that would add another English side to next season’s Champions League.
