The English Premier League is set to be one of two leagues in Europe to receive an additional slot in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, following Arsenal’s 3-0 victory over Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final match.
England has secured a top-two position in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings, which allows for what is known as a “European Performance Spot” (EPS). This means that in addition to the top four teams in the Premier League, the club finishing fifth in the 2024/25 season will also qualify directly for the Champions League next season.
Furthermore, the winners of this season’s Champions League and the UEFA Europa League will each earn a spot in the 2025/26 Champions League if they have not already qualified through their league standings.
As a result, the Premier League could potentially have as many as seven clubs participating in next season’s Champions League: the top five teams in the league, along with the Champions League winners and the Europa League winners if they do not finish in the top five.
UEFA determines which two leagues will be awarded an extra Champions League place by calculating coefficient points based on the performances of clubs from each league across the Champions League, Europa League, and UEFA Conference League. Currently, England is at the top of the rankings in this competitive system known as the “association club coefficient.”
