Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have all qualified for European football, but nine teams still have a chance
Nine Premier League clubs could play in European football next season. (Image: 2025 UEFA)
Competition in European football is starting to intensify, with nine Premier League clubs remaining in the running to qualify for next season’s European competition. Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United have already secured their place in next season’s Champions League, but there are still spots left in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
Aston Villa’s appearance in the Europa League final will likely be cheered on by several clubs in the top flight, given that it could influence the number of teams that qualify for next season’s Champions League. Unai Emery’s team are currently in fifth place in the Premier League, and if they finish the season in that position and win the Europa League, they will also qualify for the Champions League if they finish sixth in the Premier League.
This means the likes of Brighton, Bournemouth and Brentford could play in the Champions League for the first time ever. However, if Villa win the Europa League and finish fourth ahead of Liverpool, only five teams will qualify for the Champions League.
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With that in mind, Mirror Football has considered the permutations of clubs that will scream European football again next season.
Who will qualify for Europe?
There are still nine teams eligible to qualify for next season’s European football. Aston Villa, Liverpool, Brighton, Bournemouth, Brentford, Chelsea, Everton, Fulham and Sunderland can all mathematically qualify for next season’s European competition if results go well, but there are a number of things to keep in mind.
Currently, the top five teams in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League, but only two teams can qualify for the Europa League. The team that finishes the season in 6th place and the winner of the FA Cup will qualify for that competition.
The winner of the Carabao Cup also has a place in the Conference League, but Manchester City lost their place in the Conference League as they had already qualified for the top competition. Places in the tournament will be awarded to Premier League teams that finish in the highest position and have not qualified for European football (currently 7th in the league).
Manchester City defeated Arsenal in the League Cup final in March (Image: 2026 Mark Atkins)
But what if Chelsea win the FA Cup? Well, the Blues have qualified for the Europa League and are currently in 9th place in the Premier League. However, if they finish in 6th place, 7th place will qualify for the Europa League, and 8th place will also qualify for the Conference League.
Something similar will happen if Man City win the FA Cup. The teams finishing in 6th and 7th place will qualify for the Europa League, while the team that finishes in 8th place will qualify for the Conference League.
In addition to the above, Crystal Palace will also be guaranteed a spot in next season’s Europa League if they win the Conference League.
What happens if Aston Villa wins the Europa League?
Here’s where things get interesting. If Aston Villa win the Europa League and finish third or fourth, the top five will qualify for the Champions League, the sixth-placed club will qualify for the Europa League, the seventh-placed club will qualify for the Conference League, and then there will be a ripple effect of the FA Cup winners.
If Emery’s side finish fifth and win the Europa League, an additional Champions League spot will be given to sixth place, meaning the Premier League will sacrifice a Europa League spot for this position.
If the Villans finished sixth, the top five teams would qualify for the Champions League and, along with Villa, would qualify for the Europa League title, although in this scenario the Premier League would forfeit their Europa League qualification for league standings.
In either of the last two scenarios, if Chelsea are FA Cup winners but miss out on the qualification spot, they will get the one remaining Europa League spot.
If Man City win the FA Cup, the club in seventh place will qualify for the Europa League. Up to nine Premier League clubs could compete in Europe next season.
They have six spots in the Champions League, two spots in the Europa League and one spot in the Conference League.
Unai Emery is a Europa League expert (Image: MICHAEL SOHN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images)
Last day’s dilemma
As if things weren’t already tricky enough, Brighton or Brentford could also hope to lose on the final day of the season to ensure they qualify for the Champions League. The Bees’ final game of the season is against Liverpool, and if the Reds win, they could move ahead of Villa and Emery’s side could finish fifth.
Brighton, currently in seventh place, will play Manchester United on the final day of the season, but if Michael Carrick’s side can close the gap on Liverpool and Villa by then, the Seagulls would also benefit from United finishing above Villa.
The Europa League final is scheduled to be held on Wednesday, the weekend before the end of the season, so the picture for Champions League qualification will become clearer. If Villa win, it will be in the best interests of Brentford and Brighton to ensure Emery’s side finish fifth and further push themselves into the Champions League.
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