There could be as many as SIX Premier League clubs who qualify to play in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League (UCL).
The Premier League is already set to have five teams in next season’s competition. That’s because, thanks to the performances of Premier League clubs in all of UEFA’s competitions this season, the Premier League is guaranteed a top-two spot in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings, which earns a “European Performance Spot” (EPS).
This means that as well as the top four-placed teams in the Premier League, the club finishing fifth in 2024/25 will also go straight into the Champions League next season.
But that number could rise to six – and it could be confirmed as early as Thursday evening.
How could six teams qualify?
As well as being able to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top five of the Premier League, another route into the Champions League is by winning the Europa League.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are both in the semi-finals of this season’s Europa League and each go into Thursday’s second legs with leads to defend, after they won 3-0 and 3-1 respectively in the first legs.
Europa League semi-final second legs
Man Utd (3) v (0) Athletic Bilbao
BODO/GLIMT (1) V (3) Spurs
Because neither Man Utd nor Spurs are mathematically able to finish in the top five of this season’s Premier League, it means should one of them win the Europa League, the Premier League will get a sixth spot in next season’s Champions League.
-Of course, if both Man Utd and Spurs progress to the final, it will be guaranteed that ONE of them will win the Europa League and enter next season’s Champions League as the sixth Premier League entrant.
Has Premier League had six Champions League clubs before?
No, the Premier League has only ever had a maximum of five clubs in a Champions League campaign, and it has only happened once.
It was in 2017/18 when Man Utd joined Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs in the competition after United qualified by winning the Europa League the previous season, when they finished outside the Premier League’s top four. All five English clubs went on to reach the knockout stage, making England the first ever country to have five teams in the competition’s last 16.
Premier League fans may remember that in 2004/05 Liverpool won the Champions League and finished OUTSIDE the Premier League’s top four. Liverpool joined Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and Everton in the 2005/06 Champions League. However, Everton first had to negotiate a qualifying round to enter the group stage but because they lost to Villarreal, the Premier League had only four clubs in the main section of the 2005/06 Champions League.
Spain’s LaLiga has had five Champions League clubs in 2015/16, 2021/22 and 2023/24, while Germany’s Bundesliga had five in 2022/23 and 2024/25. Italy’s Serie A also had five Champions League clubs this season.
The Premier League missed out on having five clubs in this season’s Champions League – the first edition where two leagues in Europe were rewarded with an extra place based on the record of their clubs in all of UEFA’s competitions – after finishing below Italy and Germany in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
NO European country has ever had more than five clubs in the Champions League at one time – so it would be historic if Man Utd or Spurs were to make it six Premier League clubs in the competition next season.
