The Premier League has secured a fifth Champions League place for next season — and that could still rise to seven.
A fifth-place finish will now be enough for Champions League qualification after Arsenal’s 1-0 win at Sporting Lisbon in the Champions League quarter-final first leg sealed the extra spot. It is the second consecutive year the Premier League has earned an additional place, with England top of the UEFA coefficient standings.
Currently Liverpool sit fifth in the Premier League, one point ahead of sixth-placed Chelsea. Aston Villa are fourth. There are several ways England could gain further representatives:
– If Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish outside the top four, England would have six teams in the Champions League.
– The same applies if Liverpool win the Champions League and finish fifth — the extra place from the holders would push down the league qualification spot.
– If two English clubs win European trophies and finish in fifth and sixth, a seventh-placed Premier League side would qualify.
– Nottingham Forest could qualify by winning the Europa League.
Who could get the second extra Champions League spot?
UEFA awards an additional place to two associations based on the coefficients; with England guaranteed one of those, Spain look most likely to secure the other ahead of Germany and Portugal.
UEFA coefficient table (April 7)
1. England (Q) – 25.013
2. Spain – 20.281
3. Germany – 19.714
4. Portugal – 18.900
5. Italy – 18.714
How the coefficient table works
Each nation earns points from its clubs’ performances in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. A nation’s total is divided by the number of clubs it has in European competition to produce an average ranking score. Match points: wins = 2, draws = 1, losses = 0. Bonus points are awarded for group-stage finishing positions and progression through knockout rounds, with substantially larger bonuses in the Champions League (12 points for topping the group) than in the Europa League (6) or Conference League (4).
How England could reach seven Champions League teams
A specific scenario could see seven English teams in next season’s Champions League. If Liverpool win the Champions League and also finish in the Premier League top five, their holders’ qualification would free up their league-allocated spot to be passed down. If Aston Villa then finish sixth and win the Europa League (they are among the favourites), they would qualify automatically, allowing the seventh-placed team — currently Brentford — to enter the Champions League, producing a record seven English representatives.