Premier League given extra Champions League place, but here’s how it could be more
The English top tier will have at least 5 representatives in next year’s Champions League.
The Premier League is once again set to benefit from an extra place in the UEFA Champions League, meaning five English clubs could take part in Europe’s biggest club competition next season. But it could be even more.
The change is tied to the tournament’s fancy new format, which expanded the Champions League to 36 teams in one eye-watering table, starting in the 2024–25 campaign. As part of that overhaul, UEFA introduced two additional places each season that are awarded to the domestic leagues whose clubs perform best across European competitions.
Perhaps unsurprisingly, given its huge financial might, England is currently in the strongest position in that ranking, which is based on results in the Champions League, the UEFA Europa League and the UEFA Europa Conference League.
Simply put: wins, draws and progression through knockout rounds all add to a league’s seasonal coefficient score. Based on those scores, if a country finishes among the top two in the continental ranking, it earns an extra Champions League ticket.
David Raya with a top performance in Lisbon 🤩#POTM | #UCL pic.twitter.com/AzebDlWYv5
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) April 7, 2026
For England, that has now turned the traditional top-four race into a top-five. Arsenal’s win over Sporting CP in the first leg of the quarter-final round has given England enough points to guarantee that the team finishing fifth in the Premier League table will qualify for the Champions League rather than dropping into the Europa League.
But in typical greedy Premier League fashion, the division could still end up with six or even seven teams in the elite competition next season.
That scenario becomes possible because European trophy winners receive automatic Champions League qualification. If a club wins either the Champions League or the Europa League but finishes outside the Premier League’s top five, it would still qualify for the following season’s Champions League. Enter: Aston Villa.
Should they win the UEFA Europa League, they will book a ticket to the Champions League draw next season, despite finishing outside the top 5 in the domestic division. The same goes for Nottingham Forest, and Liverpool and the Champions League.
There’s even another potential scenario: were Villa and Liverpool to win a European trophy and finish in fifth and sixth, then seventh place in the Premier League would qualify for the Champions League. Yes, Brentford could play Champions League football next season.
TAKING CONTROL OF THE TIE 👊 pic.twitter.com/zJnX8aysOL
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) April 7, 2026
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