The fifth-place side in this season’s Premier League will qualify automatically for the Champions League due to English football’s UEFA co-efficient.
The seeding was confirmed after Arsenal defeated Sporting CP on Tuesday night in the quarter-final first leg, with just a draw needed to clinch the place for the Premier League — which has the highest co-efficient in Europe.
The top two co-efficient nations at the end of the 2025-26 are guaranteed at least five clubs in European football’s premier competition, with the Premier League now guaranteed to fill one of those slots. Spain’s La Liga is currently second in that list, ahead of Germany’s Bundesliga and the Primeira Liga of Portugal.
Arsenal and Liverpool remain in this season’s Champions League, with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest in the Europa League and Crystal Palace in the Conference League, after all nine of its participants this season reached the last-16 stage of European competition.
The Premier League may yet have up to seven clubs in next season’s Champions League if either Villa — who are currently fourth — or Nottingham Forest win the Europa League, an achievement which separately guarantees Champions League qualification.
Meanwhile, if Liverpool do not finish in the league’s top five but win the Champions League, they will reach next season’s tournament.
If either Villa or Liverpool win a European trophy but also qualify for next season’s Champions League by finishing fifth, the league’s qualification spot would be deferred by one place.
This season, the Premier League had six teams in the Champions League, after Tottenham Hotspur won last season’s Europa League having finished 17th domestically.
Liverpool (49 points) are currently ranked fifth in the Premier League, ahead of Chelsea (48), Brentford (46), Everton (46), Fulham (44), Brighton & Hove Albion (43), Sunderland (43), Newcastle (42) and Bournemouth (42).
League leaders Arsenal (70) have already confirmed a top-five finish this season, with Manchester City (61), Manchester United (55) and Villa (54) also well-placed for qualification through the league.