The Premier League is poised for a potentially historic weekend that could see as many as six English clubs qualify for next season's Champions League and ten teams representing the country in European competition overall. Manchester United edged closer to a coveted Champions League berth on Monday night, securing a 2-1 victory over Brentford at Old Trafford. The win, which came in a tightly contested match, extended United's grip on third place and widened the gap to the nearest challenger, Brighton & Hove Albion, to 11 points with only four games remaining in the campaign. In practical terms, United now need just a single draw – two points – to lock in a return to Europe’s elite tournament.
At the same time, Liverpool’s triumph over Crystal Palace, combined with Aston Villa’s defeat at Fulham earlier in the day, propelled Jürgen Klopp’s side into fourth place on goal‑difference. This shift reopened the conversation about a possible six‑team Champions League representation for the Premier League next season. The scenario hinges on the outcome of the Europa League final: if Unai Emery’s Aston Villa were to win that competition while also finishing outside the top four in the league, the extra Champions League slot granted to the Europa League winners would be passed down to the next highest‑placed English club. In that case, the team currently sitting in sixth place – Brighton, with 50 points – would reap the benefit.
Brighton’s position, however, is far from secure. They sit just two points ahead of Fulham, who are currently in tenth place, and the battle for European places remains wide open.
Bournemouth (49 points), Chelsea (48 points) and Brentford (48 points) are all still mathematically in contention for a continental berth. As it stands, the Premier League is guaranteed five spots in next season’s Champions League, which ensures a minimum of eight English clubs will feature in Europe: the top five in the Champions League, the FA Cup winners (or the sixth‑placed league side if the cup winner has already qualified), the team finishing sixth for the Europa League, and the seventh‑placed side for the Europa Conference League. The potential for the number of English representatives to swell even further – up to ten clubs – rests on a series of plausible outcomes.
The most straightforward route would be an English side winning the Europa League. At the moment, the semi‑finals feature Aston Villa against Nottingham Forest, guaranteeing that at least one English club will be present in the final.
If Villa were to claim the trophy and also finish in the top four of the Premier League, the Champions League slot reserved for the Europa League winners would be reallocated based on UEFA coefficients, likely benefiting a non‑English club such as Club Brugge. Conversely, if Villa win the Europa League but finish outside the top four, the Premier League would gain a sixth Champions League place.
The exact distribution would then depend on Villa’s final league position. For example, should Villa end the season in fifth, the sixth‑placed team would also qualify for the Champions League, while the league would lose one of its Europa League berths.
A similar, albeit slightly more complex, scenario could unfold if Nottingham Forest were to emerge victorious in the Europa League. In that case, Forest would become the Premier League’s sixth Champions League representative, mirroring Tottenham Hotspur’s experience in the previous campaign when they secured a Champions League spot via a Europa League triumph. Meanwhile, the winner of the Europa Conference League automatically qualifies for the following season’s Europa League.
Crystal Palace, currently positioned 13th and unlikely to qualify through league placement, are favorites to win the Conference League after defeating Shakhtar Donetsk in the semi‑finals. Should they lift that trophy in Leipzig on May 27, they would earn a Europa League place for the 2024‑25 season.
If both the Europa League and Conference League are won by English clubs – for instance, Forest taking the Europa League and Palace securing the Conference League – the Premier League could see nine teams in Europe: five in the Champions League, three in the Europa League (including the FA Cup winners, the Conference League winners, and the sixth‑placed league side), and one in the Conference League (the seventh‑placed side). This would represent a remarkable expansion of England’s continental footprint.
Additional permutations involve the FA Cup. Should Manchester City capture the FA Cup on May 16, the sixth and seventh league positions would both earn Europa League qualification, while the eighth‑placed side would drop into the Conference League. If Chelsea were to win the cup, the allocation would shift slightly: the cup winner would need to finish within the top seven for the Conference League spot to pass to the eighth‑placed team. In summary, the coming weeks are critical for determining how many English clubs will compete on the European stage next season.
Manchester United’s narrow win over Brentford puts them on the cusp of Champions League qualification, while Brighton’s modest lead over Fulham keeps the race for the final European spots wide open. Liverpool’s recent victory and Aston Villa’s Europa League run add further intrigue, as does the potential for Crystal Palace to secure a Europa League berth via the Conference League.
Fans should brace for a dramatic climax to the Premier League season, with the final league table likely to shape the composition of England’s European contingent for years to come.