It has been confirmed that the top five qualify for the Champions League again. But what about the other tournaments?
The 2025/26 Premier League season is now over and NINE clubs have qualified for European competition next season.
We take a look at the qualification criteria for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from the Premier League.
How many teams qualified for the Champions League from the Premier League?
For 2025/26, five Premier League teams qualified for the Champions League via their league position: Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea and Newcastle United.
Under the Champions League’s new-ish Swiss model system, there are 36 teams instead of 32 teams competing and two of those extra four teams come from the countries with the strongest records in that season’s European competitions.
In six of the last eight seasons that would have meant an extra place allocated from England, and that was the case with the performances of English clubs in 2024/25.
The numbers were re-set at the start of last season and having six clubs in the Champions League could have backfired on the Premier League as performances have been averaged across an unprecedented nine clubs across the three competitions.
But the Premier League very quickly guaranteed five clubs in next season’s Champions League again.
How did Premier League teams qualify for the Europa League?
England gets two Europa League places. One belongs to the highest-placed finisher not in the Champions League and the other goes to the winner of the FA Cup, unless the winner of the FA Cup qualifies by other means.
Manchester City beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final to take that Europa League place – but their league position means they don’t need it. So, instead, the Premier League got both Europa League places.
How did Premier League teams qualify for the Conference League?
As well as all the fizzy pop they can drink, the Carabao Cup winners also receive a place in the play-off stages for the Europa Conference League. But Manchester City did not need that place after their Wembley win so it reverted to the highest league finishers who have not qualified for any other European competition.
Do the Europa League winners qualify for the Champions League?
Yes. And the important thing to remember here is that when a team wins either of the two main European competitions that come with the reward of a Champions League spot and finish outside the qualifying spots through their domestic league, it counts as an extra place.
So 17th-placed Tottenham were playing in the Champions League last season as Europa League winners, making six Premier League teams in the Champions League this term.
That could have been the case again this season with Aston Villa, but once the Europa League winners secured Champions League qualification through league position they had to finish precisely fifth – the extra qualification place – to earn that extra spot to hand down.
Bournemouth were this close to playing in the Champions League.
Which competition did the Conference League winners qualify for?
The triumphant Eagles will go into the Europa League next season.
Which Premier League teams have qualified for Europe?
Champions League: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool.
Europa League: Bournemouth, Sunderland, Crystal Palace.
Conference League: Brighton.
