Could there be six Premier League clubs in the Champions League?

There could be up to six Premier League clubs that qualify to play in the UEFA Champions League 2025/26 (UCL).

The Premier League should already have five teams in next season competition. This is because, thanks to the performance of Premier League clubs in all UEFA competitions this season, the Premier League is guaranteed a top two in the classification of the coefficients of the UEFA association club, which wins a “European performance point” (EPS).

This means that as well as the best four -seater teams in the Premier League, the club finishing fifth in 2024/25 will also go directly to the Champions League next season.

But this number could reach six – and it could be confirmed on Thursday evening.

How could six teams qualify?

In addition to being able to qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the first five of the Premier League, another road in the Champions League is to win the Europa League.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur are both in the semi-finals of the Europa League of this season and each launch into the second stages of Thursday with meters of defense, after having won 3-0 and 3-1 respectively during the first stages.

Second half leg of the Europa League

Man utd (3) V (0) Athletic bilbao
Bodo / Glimt (1) V (3) Spurs

Given that neither Man Utd nor Spurs are mathematically able to finish in the first five of the Premier League of this season, this means that one of them win the Europa League, the Premier League will have a sixth place in the Champions League next season.

Of course, if Man Utd and Spurs go to the final, it will be guaranteed that one of them will win the Europa League and will enter the Champions League for next season as the sixth participant in the Premier League.

Did the Premier League have six clubs in the Champions League before?

No, the Premier League has never had a maximum of five clubs in a Champions League campaign, and that only happened once.

It was in 2017/18 that Man UTD joined Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City and Spurs in the competition after United qualified by winning the Europa League the previous season, when they finished outside the top four of the Premier League. The five English clubs continued to reach the direct elimination scene, making England the very first country to have five teams in the last 16 of the competition.

Premier League fans may remember that in 2004/05, Liverpool won the Champions League and ended in front of the top four League. Liverpool joined Chelsea, Arsenal, Man Utd and Everton in the 2005/06 Champions League. However, Everton had to negotiate a qualification lap first to enter the group phase, but because they lost against Villarreal, the Premier League had only four clubs in the main section of the 2005/06 Champions League.

The Spanish Laliga had five Champions League clubs in 2015/16, 2021/22 and 2023/24, while the Bundesliga in Germany had five in 2022/23 and 2024/25. The Serie A d’Italie has also had five Champions League clubs this season.

The Premier League has missed five clubs in the Champions League of this season – the first edition where two leagues in Europe were rewarded by an additional place according to the record of their clubs in all UEFA competitions – after having finished below Italy and Germany in the ranking of the UEFA coefficients.

No European country has ever had more than five clubs in the Champions League at some point – it would therefore be historic if the UTD man or the Spurs had to make six Premier League clubs in the competition next season.