The Premier League is on the verge of making history by potentially having six clubs compete in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League season, a milestone never before achieved by any English top-flight campaign. Currently, the Premier League has five guaranteed spots for next season’s Champions League, awarded to the top five league finishers. This is due to England securing a European Performance Spot (EPS), which grants an extra qualification place beyond the usual four based on UEFA’s coefficient rankings.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are both in the Europa League semi-finals but cannot mathematically finish in the Premier League’s top five this season. The winner of the Europa League automatically qualifies for the next season’s Champions League. Therefore, if either Manchester United or Tottenham wins the Europa League, the Premier League will gain a sixth Champions League spot.
In an unlikely but possible scenario, if Arsenal, currently in the top five, wins the Champions League but finishes outside the top five domestically, they would qualify as titleholders, and the Premier League’s fifth-placed team would also qualify. Combined with the Europa League winner from Manchester United or Tottenham, this could lead to seven English teams in the Champions League next season.
Historically, the Premier League has only ever had a maximum of five teams in the Champions League, achieved once in the 2017/18 season when Manchester United qualified by winning the Europa League despite finishing outside the top four. The expanded 36-team Champions League format this season further facilitates the possibility of more teams from a single league participating.
Liverpool is set to win the Premier League title, securing one of the guaranteed spots. Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Aston Villa are all battling for the remaining top-five league positions. Aston Villa is also competing in the Champions League quarterfinals, and a win there could impact qualification scenarios further. This potential record number of English teams in the Champions League underscores the Premier League’s dominance in European football.
