Premier League’s chances of extra Champions League spot as new rankings arrive

The top five finishers in the Premier League last season earned Champions League spots thanks to the strong showing of English clubs in the three European club competitions

There are six Premier League clubs in the 2025/26 edition of the Champions League, but the total could drop to four next season. Four is the default number for the league, but Tottenham’s Europa League win saw them qualify and English football’s coefficient score was enough to earn an extra spot for the team finishing fifth in the league last term, Newcastle United.

The coefficient remains key to that extra spot this term. The two national leagues whose teams perform the best on average across UEFA’s three club competitions will lock in an extra Champions League spot, regardless of how many they currently have.

Last season that was England and Spain. The seven Premier League clubs averaged 29.464 coefficient points, while the seven in La Liga were a distant second with 23.982 and Italy narrowly missing out in third.

Teams get points towards that coefficient score with their results in the league phase and knockout rounds. It’s not just those in the Champions League who contribute, though, with performances in the Europa League and Conference League just as important.

With two teams in the Europa League final and one in the Conference League final, the Premier League led the way last term. It’s still early days when it comes to qualification spots for next season, but here’s how things are looking so far at the halfway point in the league phase.

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According to UEFA’s latest figures, the Premier League is on track for a fifth spot yet again. English clubs average 9.944 points at the time of writing, with Germany (8.857) in second.

Spain (8.375) sit third but there’s a surprise package just below them in the form of Cyprus (8.250), who are ahead of the likes of Italy and France. That’s because Pafos earned their first Champions League win in midweek to climb into the play-off spots and AEK Larnaca are unbeaten across three Conference League outings, though fellow Cypriot side Omonia have been less successful.

The Premier League ranks so highly thanks largely to its Champions League representatives. Arsenal boast a 100 percent record, with Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool all in the top eight and on course to progress straight into the round of 16.

Spurs and Chelsea sit just outside the top eight but as things stand would be seeded for the play-offs, while it’s a similar situation for ninth-placed Crystal Palace at the halfway point in the Conference League. In the Europa League, Aston Villa’s nine points means they currently sit in the top eight but Nottingham Forest are down in 23rd with five points.

The next round of Champions League fixtures is scheduled for the final week of November. Among the standout fixtures are Chelsea’s home clash with Barcelona, Spurs’ trip to holders Paris Saint-Germain and Arsenal’s game against Bayern Munich, who currently sit top of the standings.

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