The minimum aim for the Premier League's biggest clubs at the beginning of any season is to make sure that the lowest they finish in the table is fourth, so they guarantee Champions League football for the following campaign.
It isn't always necessary however, and there have been exceptions to the rule when more than four English clubs have taken part in Europe's elite club competition, such as this term when it had six participants.
That was secured by a bonus spot through their coefficient as Newcastle United joined Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal and Liverpool in the competition.
Meanwhile, Tottenham Hotspur also qualified by winning the Europa League, despite finishing in 17th position in England's top tier in 2024-25.
Six was impressive, but now England could go one better in the 2026-27 edition of the tournament.
England Leading European Coefficient Table
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta during a press conference
England is in a position to, like last season, secure an extra Champions League spot through its coefficient ranking.
The UEFA coefficient looks at how a country's club is performing in European competition, and they are leading that table comfortably ahead of Germany, Portugal and Spain.
|UEFA Coefficient 2025-26|
|Position|Country|Average|
|---|
|1|England|21.513|
|2|Germany|17.071|
|3|Portugal|16.600|
|4|Spain|16.156|
As things stand, a fifth-placed finish in the Premier League would almost certainly guarantee a spot in next season's Champions League, which could be good news for Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool, who are all battling for fourth right now.
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Tottenham Hotspur interim manager Igor Tudor
Liverpool, Tottenham Hotspur and Newcastle United, following their 9-3 playoff win against Qarabag, all remain in this season's Champions League, and should they win it and finish outside the top five in the Premier League, which they all are right now, England would get another spot.
They would be guaranteed to get the chance to defend their title no matter where they finish in the English top flight, with Spurs in 16th and just four points above the relegation zone as things stand.
The final route into Europe's elite club competition is by winning the Europa League, which is how Tottenham did it last term despite ending the Premier League season in 17th position.
Aston Villa are the favourites to win the Europa League but are also in a good position to secure a top-five finish in the Premier League, but it is a different story for Nottingham Forest.
Forest are even lower than Spurs in the standings and just two points above the bottom three, but if they were to win the Europa League they would qualify for the Champions League in 2026-27.
If all of the above happens, then it would be an unprecedented moment for English football with seven teams taking part next term.
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