Premier League

This is what needs to happen for the Premier League to have six teams qualify for next season’s Champions League

The top five Premier League teams are guaranteed a spot in the league phase, but sixth could also play in the UCL in 2026-27.

Lee Smith

Roddy Cons

Digital sports journalist

Scottish sports journalist and content creator. After running his own soccer-related projects, in 2022 he joined Diario AS, where he mainly reports on the biggest news from around Europe’s leading soccer clubs, Liga MX and MLS, and covers live games in a not-too-serious tone. Likes to mix things up by dipping into the world of American sports.

Update: May 7th, 2026 06:08 EDT

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We’ve long been accustomed to the top four teams from Europe’s “biggest” leagues qualifying for the following season’s Champions League, although the competition’s new format now allows five clubs from two countries to reach the league phase.

But in 2026-27, the Premier League could have six representatives for a second straight season. There are different ways it can happen.

Champions League expansion benefits two countries

As part of the Champions League’s recent overhaul, which expanded the competition to 36 teams in the new league phase, UEFA introduced two additional places each season. These are awarded to the domestic leagues whose clubs perform best across European competitions in the previous campaign.

The Premier League is guaranteed to finish in the top two of the coefficient rankings this season, which means the top five teams in England will be playing in the league phase next September.

Arsenal's win at Sporting CP means the English Premier League will have at least five participants in the Champions League next season 💪 pic.twitter.com/KxZYVHRvBf
— Transfermarkt.co.uk (@TMuk_news) April 7, 2026

How the extra Champions League spots are decided

The ranking is based on results across the Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League. Clubs earn points for their domestic league’s coefficient through wins, draws and progression through the knockout rounds.

Why six teams were in the 2025-26 Champions League

This season, six English teams featured in the Champions League league phase. Because the Premier League also finished in the top two of the coefficient rankings in 2024-25, the top five teams from that season qualified automatically.

They were joined by Tottenham Hotspur, who finished 17th in the Premier League but earned a spot by winning the Europa League.

How a sixth English team could qualify: Nottingham Forest

A similar scenario could play out this season, with Nottingham Forest, currently 16th in the table, reaching the semifinals of Europe’s second club competition. If Forest win the Europa League, they will join the Premier League’s top five in the Champions League.

Nottingham Forest head to Villa Park 🍿#UEL pic.twitter.com/rrrtEDivcq
— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) May 7, 2026

Aston Villa’s key role in Champions League picture

Forest face another English team, Aston Villa, in the last four. A victory for the Birmingham club could have a knock-on effect for one lucky Premier League side.

If Villa finish the season in fifth place and also win the Europa League, then the team that finishes sixth would also qualify for the Champions League. That scenario could leave as many as seven clubs believing they are still in contention for a top-six finish.

If that happens, the Premier League would lose its automatic Europa League place for 2026-27.

Should Villa win the Europa League but finish higher than fifth in the league, only five English teams would qualify for the Champions League, with the sixth-placed club instead entering the Europa League.

The final, less likely scenario is that Villa, who are currently fifth, drop to sixth and win the Europa League. In that case, like Forest, they would join the Premier League’s top five finishers in the league phase of the Champions League in 2026-27.