Last season’s top five Premier League teams qualified for the Champions League thanks to strong performances by English clubs in three European club competitions.
Six Premier League clubs will take part in the 2025/26 Champions League, but the total could drop to four next season. The default number for the league is four, but Tottenham qualified by winning the Europa League, and their English Football Coefficient score was enough to earn them an extra spot over Newcastle United, the team that finished fifth in the league last term.
The key to that additional spot this season is the coefficient. The two domestic leagues with the best average results in UEFA’s three club competitions will secure an additional Champions League spot, regardless of their current numbers.
Last season it was England and Spain. The seven clubs in the Premier League recorded an average coefficient point of 29.464, but the seven clubs in La Liga were far behind in second place with 23.982, and Italy narrowly missed out on third place.
Teams receive points according to their coefficient score depending on their results in the league phase and knockout rounds. However, it is not just Champions League players who contribute, their performances in the Europa League and Conference League are equally important.
Last season, the Premier League topped the table with two teams appearing in the Europa League final and one team in the Conference League final. It’s still early days when it comes to qualifying for next season, but here’s how things are going so far at the halfway point of league play.
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The Premier League is once again on track for fifth place, according to the latest figures from UEFA. At the time of writing, the average score for English clubs is 9.944 points, with Germany (8.857 points) in second place.
Spain (8.375) is in third place, but just below that is the surprising package of Cyprus (8.250), which outperforms the likes of Italy and France. That’s because Paphos secured their first Champions League win in midweek to move into the play-off spots, while AEK Larnaca are unbeaten in their last three conference league games, despite fellow Cypriot team Omonia having less success.
The reason the Premier League ranks so highly is mainly due to the Champions League representatives. Arsenal boast a 100 per cent record, with Manchester City, Newcastle and Liverpool all in the top eight and on track to progress directly to the round of 16.
Spurs and Chelsea sit outside the top eight but will be seeded for the play-offs if they remain as they are, while Crystal Palace, who are halfway through the conference, sit in ninth place. In the Europa League, Aston Villa’s nine points mean they currently sit in the top eight, while Nottingham Forest sit in 23rd place with five points.
The next round of the Champions League is scheduled for the last week of November. Some of the notable matches include Chelsea’s home clash with Barcelona, Spurs’ away trip to holders Paris Saint-Germain, and the match between Arsenal and current leaders Bayern Munich.
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