Premier League Run In: Race For Europe
As the final stretch of the Premier League campaign, known as The Run In, gathers pace, the race to secure European football for the 2025/26 season is intensifying. With coveted places in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League up for grabs, here’s everything you need to know about the ongoing battle for European qualification.
The battle for the European spots has become increasingly thrilling and unpredictable. With the Premier League on course to earn five UEFA Champions League positions, the competition has become fiercer than ever. Currently, just two points separate the teams sitting third to sixth in the table. The same narrow margin applies to those placed eighth to 11th, making the end-of-season run-in one of the most captivating in recent memory.
Matchweek 34: Key Results and Movements
In matchweek 34, Newcastle United claimed an emphatic 3-0 victory over Ipswich Town, propelling them two spots up the table from fifth to third. Their success saw them leapfrog both Manchester City and Nottingham Forest, who had the weekend off from Premier League action due to their involvement in the FA Cup semi-finals.
Chelsea also moved up the table, overtaking Forest to reach fifth place, thanks to a hard-fought 1-0 win against Everton. Forest had an opportunity to respond when they played their matchweek 34 fixture later in the week but suffered a disappointing 2-0 home defeat to Brentford. That win allowed Brentford to stay firmly in the hunt for European qualification.
Elsewhere, Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion pulled off dramatic late comebacks to secure wins over Southampton and West Ham United respectively. These victories ensured both sides remained level on points—each with 51—and currently occupy eighth and ninth places.
AFC Bournemouth had the chance to reclaim eighth place but were denied by a stoppage-time equaliser in their 1-1 draw with Manchester United. As a result, the south coast side remain just behind in the pecking order for European contention.
At this stage, as many as 10 Premier League clubs are still in with a realistic chance of qualifying for Europe. But before we delve into how those spots can be claimed, here’s a look at what’s already been decided.
Which Clubs Have Already Secured European Football?
Newcastle United have guaranteed themselves at least a place in next season’s UEFA Conference League, courtesy of their EFL Cup triumph. However, they remain in contention for a place in either the Champions League or Europa League, depending on their final league position.
Liverpool, meanwhile, are assured of UEFA Champions League football next season. Their place in Europe’s premier competition was already secured before their emphatic 5-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur, and their Premier League title triumph has simply reinforced that status.
Qualification Routes to European Competitions
UEFA Champions League
The top five Premier League clubs will qualify for the 2025/26 Champions League. This expanded access comes as a result of English clubs performing strongly across all UEFA competitions this season. These collective performances have elevated England into the top two of UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings, which grants an additional “European Performance Spot” (EPS).
As such, the Premier League could feature up to six representatives in next season’s Champions League. This would comprise the league’s top five finishers, plus the winners of the Europa League—if that winner is a Premier League club that finishes outside the top five.
UEFA Europa League
Two Europa League places are allocated to English football each season. The first of these typically goes to the team that finishes fifth in the Premier League—or to the sixth-placed side if England receives the bonus fifth Champions League berth.
The second Europa League spot is awarded to the winner of the FA Cup. However, scenarios exist where this place may be redistributed (see further below).
UEFA Conference League
The UEFA Conference League place is awarded to the winners of the EFL Cup. Newcastle have already secured this spot for next season thanks to their historic victory over Liverpool at Wembley. The Magpies’ triumph ended a 56-year wait for silverware and ensured their return to European football.
Alternative Routes to European Football
Beyond domestic league and cup finishes, Premier League clubs can qualify for Europe based on their success in continental competitions.
- The Champions League and Europa League winners automatically qualify for the following season’s Champions League.
- The Conference League winner earns a place in the subsequent season’s Europa League.
Redistributed Qualification: When Cup Winners Already Qualify via Other Routes
The intricacies of European qualification don’t stop there. If a domestic cup winner—either FA Cup or EFL Cup—has already qualified for Europe through another method, their European place gets passed down to the next-highest team in the Premier League who have not yet qualified.
FA Cup Scenarios
Should the FA Cup winners qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League via their league position or by winning a UEFA competition, their allocated Europa League place is handed to the next Premier League side in the standings who have not already earned European qualification.
EFL Cup Scenarios
Similarly, if the EFL Cup winners secure Champions League or Europa League qualification through other means, their Conference League spot gets transferred to the next-highest Premier League side yet to qualify.
This is the situation Newcastle hope to benefit from—should they finish high enough in the league, they could swap their Conference League berth for a place in the Champions League or Europa League.
Potential FA Cup Influence
The ongoing FA Cup could also play a decisive role in shaping European qualification, especially with regards to the possibility of 10 Premier League clubs reaching continental competition next season.
Manchester City are still chasing Champions League qualification via their Premier League standing. Should they succeed and also lift the FA Cup, their Europa League spot—earned through winning the cup—would be passed down to the next eligible Premier League team.
If Crystal Palace were to win the FA Cup, they would automatically take the Europa League place tied to that trophy.
Can 10 English Clubs Qualify for Europe?
Unbelievably, it is indeed possible for 10 Premier League clubs to qualify for European competition next season. Here’s how this highly specific scenario could unfold:
- Liverpool, Arsenal, Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, and Manchester City finish as the Premier League’s top five and qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
- Aston Villa or Brighton secure sixth place and thereby a Europa League spot.
- Bournemouth finish seventh and claim the Conference League berth passed down by Newcastle (should Newcastle qualify for a higher competition).
- Chelsea finish eighth but gain Europa League qualification by winning the UEFA Conference League.
- Crystal Palace end the season 10th and qualify for the Europa League by winning the FA Cup.
- Either Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur finish 11th but qualify for the Champions League by winning the Europa League.
Such an outcome—although improbable—would see six English sides compete in the Champions League, three in the Europa League, and one in the Conference League.
High Stakes for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur
Both Manchester United and Spurs currently find themselves in precarious league positions—14th and 16th respectively. Their best hope of salvaging European football for next season lies in winning the Europa League.
The two clubs could potentially meet in the Europa League final in Bilbao on 21 May, where the winner will be rewarded with a Champions League spot for the 2025/26 campaign.
What are the remaining Premier League fixtures?
Here are the remaining fixtures for the teams in the race for Europe in full:
- Arsenal: BOU (H); LIV (A); NEW (H); SOU (A)
- Newcastle: BHA (A); CHE (H); ARS (A); EVE (H)
- Forest: CRY (A); LEI (H); WHU (A); CHE (H)
- Man City: WOL (H); SOU (A); BOU (H); FUL (A)
- Chelsea: LIV (H); NEW (A); MUN (H); NFO (A)
- Aston Villa: FUL (H); BOU (A); TOT (H); MUN (A)
- Bournemouth: ARS (A); AVL (H); MCI (A); LEI (H)
- Fulham: AVL (A); EVE (H); BRE (A); MCI (H)
- Brighton: NEW (H); WOL (A); LIV (H); TOT (A)
- Brentford: MUN (H); IPS (A); FUL (H); WOL (A)
- Crystal Palace: NFO (H); TOT (A); WOL (H); LIV (A)