Mar 26, 2026, 12:42 PM
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A whopping nine English teams qualified for European football this season, and remarkably two more could join the party in the 2026-27 campaign.
Six teams secured a Champions League spot in Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Tottenham Hotspur while Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest qualified for the Europa League. Crystal Palace round off the English sides in the Conference League.
And now, there could be a scenario where there are 11 teams from England flying the flag in Europe next season. How, you ask? Well look no further.
ESPN takes a look at exactly how this extraordinary European spectacle could occur.
How many European spots do England have?
We could see seven English teams qualify for the Champions League next season. Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images
The League's top four has long been associated with a premier European place by way of a spot in the Champions League. But after UEFA's expansion of the competition two years ago this has transformed into a top five thanks to the league's place in UEFA's coefficient table (a measurement of countries' club sides' European performance).
This has yet to confirmed for next season but looks very likely with England sitting clear of Spain at the top of UEFA's table, where a top two finish would confirm the five Champions League spots for another season. Such is their lead that a poor showing from English sides in this season's Champions League will make little to no impact.
The league also gets two Europa League spots, sixth (the highest placed team not in the Champions League) and the winner of the FA Cup. The winner of the Carabao Cup is given a spot in the Conference League qualifiers, but if they have already qualified for a higher level competition then this passes to the next highest team in the league that have yet to qualify for any European competition.
So, on paper (pending their UEFA coefficient table final position), without the caveats and what ifs you are about to read, England get eight European spots.
How the Premier League could get nine spots in Europe next season
To reach nine teams -- matching this season -- a familiar sequence would need to play out.
Like Tottenham's Europa League win from the depths of the Premier League table, Nottingham Forest would have to do the same. Should they win the competition, it would mean six English teams would compete in the Champions League.
One of the four traditional "Big Six" teams left in the FA Cup -- City, Liverpool, Chelsea or Arsenal -- would have to go on to win the trophy while maintaining their spot in the top six of the league table. That would mean their Europa League spot from winning football's oldest Cup competition would go to the next highest-placed team in the league or seventh.
And with City looking a certainty for a top five finish, their Conference League spot for winning the Carabao Cup would transfer over to the next team in the league or eighth, meaning that nine teams in total would be playing in Europe next term.
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How the Premier League could get 10 spots
All of the above, plus Oliver Glasner's Crystal Palace going back-to-back in terms of major trophy success and adding the Conference League to the cabinet.
Should they go all the way, Palace would secure a Europa League spot and become the third English side in that competition alongside sixth and seventh in the Premier League, and the 10th team in total to qualify for Europe.
They play Italian side Fiorentina in the quarterfinals.
How the Premier League could get 11 spots
There is a chance, albeit a slim one, that more than half of the league could be playing in Europe next term, something that a few years ago and before UEFA's Champions League expansion and the creation of the Conference League would have been unthinkable.
But it remains a possibility and is dependent on (all of the above, plus) Liverpool and Aston Villa going all the way in Europe but dropping off at home.
If both sides are able to win their respective European competitions (Champions League for Liverpool and Europa League for Aston Villa) while ending the season outside of the top five, they would both secure a spot in next season's Champions League, meaning there would be seven English teams in Europe's top competition.
That, alongside the three teams who secure a Europe League spot (dependent on Palace not finishing in the top six from here), would give 10 teams a spot in Europe.
The remaining Conference League spot would then go to tenth (this team is now the highest placed side without a European spot already) and confirm the participation of 11 English teams in Europe next season.