Six English teams will play in the Champions League in 2025/26

Liverpool FC has already secured one of England's six Champions League tickets. IMAGO/NurPhoto

When representatives of FC Bayern Munich, Bayer 04 Leverkusen, and the two remaining Champions League participants from the Bundesliga gather for the draw for the league phase at the start of next season, there's a good chance that chance will award the clubs an opponent from the British Isles. Six clubs from the English Premier League will compete in the top flight in 2025/26.

This has been certain since Thursday evening, as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur secured an all-English Europa League final. The winner of the competition will receive a Champions League berth if they haven't already reached it through the league.

Should the winner secure a Champions League spot, the additional starting spot will be allocated according to the UEFA access list and will not remain in the respective country. However, since both finalists are far below expectations in the league—Man United is 15th, Spurs 16th—the ticket will remain with the Europa League winner, thus safely going to England.

In addition to the four starting spots allocated to the top four leagues and the Europa League spot, the fifth-place finisher in the Premier League also qualifies for Europe's top club competition this year. England has already secured one of the so-called European Performance Spots (EPS), which goes to the two countries with the highest scores in UEFA's one- year rankings. The second spot goes to a Spanish club (currently Villarreal).

This is a first for the English team. Never before has there been more than five participants from one country in the Champions League. Germany, for example, fielded five teams twice: in 2022/23, before the Champions League reform, due to Frankfurt's Europa League victory, and last year due to the EPS.

As things stand, champions Liverpool, their pursuers Arsenal, Manchester City, Newcastle United, and Chelsea, as well as the winner of the Europa League final between Manchester United and Tottenham, would be in the draw. However, with three matchdays – or one final – remaining, only champions Liverpool are guaranteed a spot. Nottingham and Aston Villa also have a chance of finishing in the top five via the league.

Incidentally, in theory, even seven Premier League participants would have been possible. For that to happen, an English club that hasn't yet qualified for the Champions League through the league would have had to secure the title in the top flight. Based on the current standings, that would have applied to Aston Villa (currently seventh), who, however, lost to Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals.