England are guaranteed a minimum of five teams in the Champions League next season after Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of the quarter-finals.
One win, in any of the three European competitions, would have secured the fifth place for England.
Two extra spots are awarded to countries based on their ranking in Uefa’s coefficient table.
Liverpool and Arsenal look set to finish in the top in the Premier League, with Nottingham Forest, Chelsea, Newcastle, Manchester City, Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth, who sit 10th, all separated by 12 points.
England could have as many as seven teams in the Champions League in 2025-26 if Aston Villa win the competition this year, but fail to qualify through the Premier League, and if Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League.
Italy are second in the coefficient rankings, with Spain and Germany behind.
Each country’s league earns a coefficient ranking based on how their teams perform in Uefa’s three men’s club competitions: the Champions League, Europa League and 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), giving England a coefficient of 14.28.
This season, bonus points are available to clubs playing in the Champions League, which is advantageous to leagues with more clubs competing in it, such as Germany and Italy.
Countries that finish in the coefficient table’s top two earn an additional Champions League spot for the following season.
Those spots are awarded to the teams who 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 would go 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.
What about the Europa League winners?
England could end up with seven Champions League teams next season.
The winners of the Europa League, as well as the Champions League, are granted a spot.
Under previous rules, any single league could only have a maximum of five clubs in the Champions League. However, that rule has been scrapped.
This season, any team who win the Europa League or Champions League but do not qualify for the Champions League via their domestic league position will go into the Champions League.
If Aston Villa win the Champions League and finish outside the top five in the Premier League then that will give English clubs another spot.
Also, Manchester United and Tottenham, both languishing in the bottom half of the Premier League, are in the quarter-finals of the Europa League and if either of them win the tournament that would be another team from England playing in next season’s elite European competition.–BBC
