How seven Premier League clubs could qualify for Champions League

Bournemouth are ninth in the Premier League table

The Premier League is on course to gain an extra Champions League place for next season based on the performances of English sides in Europe.

Two leagues across Europe will each be rewarded with an additional spot in the 2025-26 Champions League as a reward for their coefficient ranking.

England leads the coefficient rankings table, putting the Premier League on track to offer a path into the Champions League for the club that finishes fifth in the table.

But there could be up to seven Premier League clubs in next season's Champions League if the season plays out in a particular fashion.

Let us explain...

How do countries earn an extra Champions League spot?

Each country's league has a coefficient ranking based on how their teams perform in Uefa's three men's club competitions: the Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League.

Coefficient points are earned through match results - two for a win and one for a draw.

The points earned by clubs from the same domestic league are added up and divided by the number of clubs the league has in Europe.

For example, if the Premier League had 100 points, that would be split by the number of teams playing in Europe (seven) and give England a coefficient of 14.28.

This season, bonus points are available to clubs playing in the Champions League, which was advantageous to leagues with more clubs competing in it, such as Germany and Italy.

Countries that finish in the top two of the coefficient table earn an additional Champions League spot for the following season.

Those spots are awarded to the teams which finish in the first position below the standard Champions League allocation in those leagues.

In the Premier League, the top four clubs automatically qualify for the Champions League via league position, so any additional place goes to the team in fifth.

Additional spots for the 2024-25 Champions League were given to Bologna and Borussia Dortmund, who finished fifth in Serie A and the Bundesliga respectively.

Who is leading the coefficient table?

At present the Premier League is leading the coefficient table.

England were already top heading into the knockout stages of Uefa's three European competitions.

But, with Aston Villa and Arsenal progressing to the quarter-finals and only Liverpool being knocked out so far, England has strengthened its position with an average association ranking of 23.035.

Manchester United and Tottenham's chances of reaching the Europa League quarter-finals are on a knife's edge, while Chelsea are heavy favourites to progress in the Conference League.

Spain, who like England still have five teams left in European competition, are in second with a score of 20.892.

Real Madrid knocked out Atletico Madrid on Wednesday, while Barcelona overcame Benfica the night before. Athletic Bilbao are one of the favourites for the Europa League, while Real Sociedad take on Manchester United and Real Betis go to Vitoria in the Conference League.

Italy's case was weakened in February when AC Milan, Atalanta and Juventus all lost their Champions League knockout play-off fixtures.

Inter Milan are the only Italian side that remains in the Champions League, while there are three clubs - Lazio, Roma and Fiorentina - in the Europa League and Conference League.

Germany's chances appear remote, with Bayern Munich knocking out Bundesliga rivals Bayer Leverkusen in the last 16, though Dortmund are also through to the quarter-finals.

Likewise France. Paris St-Germain and Lille are their representatives remaining in the Champions League, with Monaco and Brest exiting at the play-off stage. Lyon, in the Europa League, are the only other French side left in European competition.

Which Premier League team could get bonus spot?

Premier League table as of 13 March

Should the Premier League earn an additional spot, the team finishing fifth this season will qualify for the 2025-26 Champions League.

Manchester City, the Premier League holders, occupy that position.

Pep Guardiola's side slipped out of the top four after defeat at Nottingham Forest, with Chelsea leapfrogging City thanks to a 1-0 win against Leicester City on 9 March.

But there are just seven points between Chelsea in fourth and Fulham in 10th.

What about the Champions League winners?

The winners of the Champions League are automatically granted a spot in the following season's competition.

Usually, the team that wins the Champions League also qualifies automatically via their domestic league position.

However, on rare occasions - such as when Chelsea won the Champions League in 2012 but finished fifth in the Premier League - that is not always the case.

Back then, Chelsea took the place of Tottenham in the Champions League as they were the team that finished fourth in the Premier League.

Uefa has since revoked that rule.

It means Aston Villa or Arsenal could theoretically win the Champions League and qualify for next season's competition without qualifying via their Premier League finish.

What about the Europa League winners?

The winners of the Europa League are also granted a Champions League slot.

Under previous rules, any single league could only have a maximum of five clubs in the Champions League.

This season any team that wins the Europa League but does not qualify for the Champions League via their domestic league position will go into the Champions League - as well as the domestic qualifiers.

This means Manchester United or Tottenham could earn a Champions League spot by winning the Europa League, despite languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League.

How many Premier League teams could get into Champions League?

Taking all of that into account, as many as seven teams from the Premier League could qualify for the Champions League.

With England on course to earn an additional spot via their coefficient ranking, it looks likely that the top five from the Premier League will be given Champions League spots.

Then if Arsenal or Aston Villa - who are eighth in the league - win the Champions League but finish outside of the Champions League qualification places in the Premier League, England would earn a sixth spot.

And finally, a seventh spot could go to Manchester United or Tottenham should they win the Europa League but finish outside the Champions League qualification places in the Premier League.