Manchester United are competing with Chelsea for a spot in the 2026/27 Champions League but that might not be the case after the latest football finance news.
With seven games remaining in the 2025/26 season, Manchester United are currently third in the Premier League table and one of the favourites to qualify for the Champions League.
A top-five finish will secure Champions League football, and Michael Carrick’s side are seven points clear of Chelsea who are in sixth.
Chelsea’s objective is to break back into the top five, but it seems their Champions League dreams could be crushed because of their worrying finances.
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£262m Chelsea bombshell risks Champions League ban
This week, Chelsea announced their 2024/25 finances and reported a record loss of £262 million in a single season – the most by any English club in history.
Football finance expert Mo Chatra on X has explained how Chelsea’s troubling financial situation could actually result in a Champions League ban.
Last summer, Chelsea accepted a £17m fine for breaching Uefa financial rules and they entered into a settlement agreement which included achieving set targets over the next few seasons.
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Chelsea submitted a business plan pledging to move towards financial sustainability, and that included agreeing to an allowable deficit.
If Chelsea have surpassed that deficit with their record-breaking £262m loss, it could lead to eviction from Uefa competitions.
As pointed out by Chatra, if Chelsea breach their settlement, the club “agrees on an exclusion from the next one applicable UEFA club competition for which it would otherwise qualify in the following three seasons.”
Therefore, Chelsea would be banned from the Champions League even if they do finish in the top five – in that case, the sixth-placed team would achieve qualification.
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Man Utd now aiming for a top six finish
If Chelsea are found to have breached their Uefa agreement, then United realistically only need a top-six finish to qualify for the Champions League.
That is, however, assuming that it would be Chelsea who finish in the top five instead.
But a look at the Premier League table shows there are other contenders for Champions League spots. Brentford are currently in seventh place, just two points behind Chelsea and three points off the top five.
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United are yet to play Brentford, with an Old Trafford clash scheduled for April 27.
Everton are also level with Brentford on 46 points in eighth, so they also now have an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League with a strong end to the season.
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