One more team from the Premier League could find themselves playing in Europe next season as we approach the final day of the current campaign.

Heading into the final Premier League weekend of the 24/25 season, it has so far been confirmed that Liverpool and Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League via their league positions.

They have since been joined by Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Manchester United in the Europa League final to Wednesday night to seal their place in Europe’s premier club competition.

The likes of Manchester City, Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are battling for the remaining three places for the Champions League.

Meanwhile, Crystal Palace will find themselves in the Europa League next season after they won the FA Cup.

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Heading into the final weekend of the Premier League, the team that finishes in eighth place could end up qualifying for Europe.

For that to happen, there are currently two scenarios

If Chelsea beat Real Betis in the UEFA Conference League final in Wroclaw, Poland, this could help eighth place – currently Brighton – qualify for Europe as they are the only side who could win a European title and finish in a qualification spot via their league position.

Spurs will play in the Premier League after winning the Europa League. Image: Getty

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The latest scenarios have been published by the Premier League via [ESPN].

There are two ways that the eighth-place team can get a place in the Conference League.

1) Chelsea finish seventh and win the Conference League

Champions League: 1st to 5th plus Spurs as Europa League winners

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Europa League: 6th, Crystal Palace as FA Cup winners, Chelsea as Conference League winners (7th)

Conference League: 8th

2) Chelsea finish sixth and win the Conference League, while Newcastle finish seventh

Champions League: 1st to 5th plus Spurs as Europa League winners

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Europa League: Newcastle (7th), Crystal Palace as FA Cup winners, Chelsea as Conference League winners (6th)

Conference League: 8th

In either of these scenarios, the Premier League would have 10 teams playing in Europe next season. Brighton and Brentford could still finish eighth.

There’s still plenty to play for throughout Europe as we head into the final matches of the season across the top leagues. Here are the title races, Champions League fights, and relegation battles left to be decided.

Note: This story will be updated until the end of the season.

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Final day of season: May 25

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Title winners

What once promised to be a thrilling battle between Liverpool and Arsenal ultimately turned into a procession. Arne Slot’s team clinched a record-equaling 20th title in the English top flight with four matches to spare, sealing the deal with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool, who also hoisted the trophy in 2020, are the only club other than Manchester City to win the Premier League since 2018.

The Reds’ triumph has been powered in large part by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah, who’s authoring one of the greatest individual seasons in English football history. Sitting on 46 goal involvements, he’s one shy of tying the all-time Premier League record for a single season, and he’s two assists away from equalling the mark for most ever in a campaign (20). Salah has one match left to claim those records.

European qualification

Through its strong performances in European competition this season, the Premier League earned an extra Champions League spot for the 2025-26 campaign. The top five finishers will compete in the competition next year.

Arsenal sealed their spot by beating Newcastle in their penultimate game of the season. Three spots remain up for grabs in an incredibly tight race.

The Premier League’s first tiebreaker, if necessary, is goal difference.

Club Played GD Points 3. Man City 37 +26 68 4. Newcastle 37 +22 66 5. Chelsea 37 +20 66 6. Aston Villa 37 +9 66 7. Nottingham Forest 37 +13 65 8. Brighton 37 +4 58 9. Brentford 37 +9 55

Tottenham Hotspur, languishing in 17th in the table, beat fellow strugglers Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final. As such, the Premier League will have six teams in next season’s Champions League, and nine total in European competition:

Champions League : League positions one to five, Tottenham

: League positions one to five, Tottenham Europa League : Sixth place, FA Cup winners

: Sixth place, FA Cup winners Conference League: Carabao Cup winners

Crystal Palace upset Manchester City 1-0 in the FA Cup final on Saturday, winning a first major trophy in club history and earning a Europa League berth in the process.

Newcastle, meanwhile, won the Carabao Cup and are guaranteed of at least a Conference League spot. If they qualify for the Champions League or Europa League via their league position, then the Conference League berth will go to the team that finishes seventh.

It’s possible for England to have 10 total teams in European competition next season, but that can only happen if Chelsea win the Conference League – they’re in the final against Real Betis on May 28 – and finish seventh in the Premier League. In that case, England’s Conference League berth would go to the team that finishes eighth in the table, since Chelsea’s Conference League triumph would give them an automatic spot in the Europa League.

The allocation, in that case, would be as follows:

Champions League : League positions one to five, Tottenham

: League positions one to five, Tottenham Europa League : Sixth place, Crystal Palace, Chelsea

: Sixth place, Crystal Palace, Chelsea Conference League: Eighth place

If Chelsea qualify for the Champions League via their league position, their Conference League final result versus Betis is moot, and England’s Conference League berth would go to the team that finishes seventh.

Relegation and promotion

Southampton set an unwanted record for the earliest relegation in Premier League history, officially being consigned to the Championship with seven games to spare. The Saints, at least, avoided setting a record for the lowest points total in a Premier League season, eclipsing the 11 points that Derby County collected in 2007-08.

Leicester City and Ipswich Town will join them in the second tier, marking the second consecutive season that the Premier League’s three promoted clubs were relegated directly back down to the Championship.

Championship winners Leeds United and runners-up Burnley were promoted from the second tier after becoming the seventh and eighth second-division sides to finish with 100 points or more.

Sheffield United and Sunderland will meet in the Championship playoff final at Wembley Stadium on May 24 to decide who gets the last Premier League berth.

Final day of season: May 25

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Title winners

Barcelona captured their 28th Spanish league title with a 2-0 win over Catalan rivals Espanyol, sealing a domestic treble in the process. Hansi Flick’s team closed in on the league crown with a wild 4-3 Clasico victory over Real Madrid, and finished the job against another bitter rival, with Lamine Yamal scoring a stunning goal in the title-clinching victory. Barcelona, who narrowly missed out on reaching the Champions League final this season, will end the year as La Liga, Copa del Rey, and Spanish Super Cup champions.

European qualification

Spain has joined the Premier League by earning an additional Champions League berth for next season, beating out Serie A in the battle for the last available extra spot. Those five berths have now all been confirmed, with Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Athletic Bilbao, and Villarreal joining champions Barcelona in the elite competition in 2025-26.

Spain’s top flight will send at least eight total teams to Europe next season:

Champions League : League positions one to five

: League positions one to five Europa League : Sixth place, seventh place

: Sixth place, seventh place Conference League: Eighth place

Club Played GD Points 6. Real Betis 37 +7 59 7. Celta Vigo 37 +1 52 8. Rayo Vallecano 37 -4 51 9. Osasuna 37 -4 51

With Barcelona beating Real Madrid 3-2 in a thrilling Copa del Rey final, the Europa League place that is typically reserved for the Spanish Cup winners will transfer down to whoever finishes seventh in the table, thus giving the eighth-placed finisher Spain’s Conference League berth.

Relegation and promotion

Real Valladolid and Las Palmas have officially been relegated despite their best efforts to avoid the drop. After a tight race with a handful of teams involved for much of the year, it comes down to Leganes and Espanyol going into the final day of the season.

Club Played GD Points 17. Espanyol 37 -13 39 18. Leganes 37 -20 37 19. Las Palmas 37 -19 32 20. Valladolid 37 -61 16

Spain’s second division is similar to the English Championship – the top two finishers jump directly to the top tier, while teams finishing third through sixth enter a promotion playoff. Levante and Mirandes are sitting in the top two spots, but several other clubs are hot on their tails.

Final day of season: May 25

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Title race

Italy has delivered arguably the most enthralling title race on the continent this year, and it’s reaching a crescendo. While Simone Inzaghi’s Inter Milan fell into a slump at the worst possible time, Napoli then slipped up themselves, leaving the gap at just one point.

The penultimate day of the season saw both title hopefuls draw. Inter conceded a 90th-minute penalty in a 2-2 stalemate with Lazio, and Napoli had to settle for a goalless draw at Parma after a stoppage-time penalty was awarded but then taken away by VAR. Never dull, Italy.

Club Played GD Points 1. Napoli 37 +30 79 2. Inter 37 +42 78

Antonio Conte’s men control their own destiny going into the final day of the season. Napoli will clinch their second Scudetto in three years if they beat Cagliari at home in their finale. Inter, who have one eye on their upcoming Champions League final clash against PSG, close out the season at Como, needing a win and some help. Both matches are Friday (2:45 p.m. ET).

If Napoli and Inter finish tied on points, they’ll play a one-game winner-take-all finale for the title. Inter would host the match because of their superior goal differential. The only time a Scudetto playoff has been required in Serie A was 1964, when Bologna beat Inter to claim the last of their seven titles.

European qualification

Atalanta qualified for the Champions League earlier this month, leaving only the fourth and final qualification place up for grabs. Juventus, Roma, and Lazio are still in contention with one match to play.

Juve travel to Venezia knowing they’ll finish fourth with a win. Roma play away against Torino, and Lazio host Lecce. All three games are Sunday.

Club Played GD Points 4. Juventus 37 +22 67 5. Roma 37 +19 66 6. Lazio 37 +13 65 7. Fiorentina 37 +18 62 8. Bologna 37 +12 62

Bologna beat Milan to win the Coppa Italia and qualify for the Europa League in the process, so Serie A’s European allotment will break down as follows:

Champions League : League positions one to four

: League positions one to four Europa League : Fifth place, Coppa Italia winners

: Fifth place, Coppa Italia winners Conference League: Sixth place

Relegation and promotion

Monza were the first team to go down in Serie A this season, but the relegation dogfight isn’t over, with five teams still battling to avoid the drop. A playoff will be used if two teams finish tied for 18th place.

Club Played GD Points 15. Hellas Verona 37 -33 34 16. Parma 37 -15 33 17. Lecce 37 -32 31 18. Empoli 37 -25 31 19. Venezia 37 -23 29 20. Monza 37 -37 18

Former Serie A mainstays Sassuolo and Pisa are the teams going up after securing the top two automatic promotion berths in the Serie B table. Coached by former Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi, Pisa will play in the top flight for the first time in 34 years.

Spezia, Cremonese, Juve Stabia, and Catanzaro are the four teams remaining in the playoffs for the last promotion place.

Season complete

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Title winners

Bayern Munich reclaimed their crown from Bayer Leverkusen, and now have 34 Bundesliga championships in their history. No other German club has even hit double figures.

Harry Kane’s league-leading 26 goals helped return Bayern to the summit and deliver the first major trophy of his career. Kane arrived in Munich in 2023 and seemed cursed as Leverkusen came out of nowhere to end Bayern’s run of 11 consecutive titles last season. He’s cursed no more.

European qualification

Despite missing out on the title, Leverkusen joined Bayern in securing Champions League football for next season. They were joined by Eintracht Frankfurt, who stayed in contention during the second half of the campaign despite losing Egyptian star Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in the winter transfer window. Borussia Dortmund, meanwhile, claimed 22 of a possible 24 points in their final eight matches to surge into fourth, completing their Champions League rescue mission with a win on the final day of the season.

Freiburg, fourth going into the final day, will have to settle for the Europa League after losing and ending up in fifth, while Mainz took home sixth place and will head to the Conference League.

Third-tier club Arminia Bielefeld have made a Cinderella run to the German Cup final, upsetting Leverkusen along the way. Bielefeld could become the first third-tier team to ever win the German Cup, and that would also give them a stunning Europa League berth. They’ll play Stuttgart for the DFB-Pokal crown, so the Bundesliga’s European places won’t need to be transferred down the table based on the outcome of the cup final on May 24.

Relegation and promotion

The 18-team Bundesliga uses a distinctive system to determine their final relegation and promotion places. The bottom two teams are automatically sent down to Bundesliga 2, while the top pair from the second division replaces them. Then it gets interesting. The outfit that finishes 16th in the Bundesliga enters a two-legged playoff against the third-placed squad from Bundesliga 2. The winner gets next season’s spot in the top division.

In Germany, this unique method is known simply as the “Relegation.”

Bochum and Holstein Kiel were officially relegated on the penultimate day of the season, and Heidenheim were confirmed as the Bundesliga’s playoff representative by finishing 16th.

Fallen giants Hamburg will return to the Bundesliga next season after a seven-year absence from the top flight. FC Koln leapfrogged Hamburg on the final day to be promoted as Bundesliga 2 champions. Elversberg, who finished third, will take on Heidenheim in the playoff.

Season complete

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Title winners

Paris Saint-Germain conquered French football for the 11th time in 13 seasons, but their bid for the first undefeated campaign in Ligue 1 history collapsed in their fourth-to-last match.

The main stars of PSG’s latest romp to the Ligue 1 title include top scorer Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, while in-form teenager Desire Doue delivered the goal that rubber-stamped first place.

Les Parisiens are closing in on more silverware in the Champions League and Coupe de France. They’ll face Inter in the continental showpiece on May 31, a week after the Coupe de France final against Reims.

European qualification

Unlike the other top European divisions, Ligue 1 only gets three automatic Champions League berths. Marseille and Monaco sealed their automatic spots with wins in the penultimate round, leaving four teams in contention to finish fourth heading into the final day of the season.

Nice won that race, beating Brest 6-0 to ensure they finished fourth ahead of Lille thanks to their superior goal difference. Lille will head to the Europa League, while Lyon finished sixth, which yields a Conference League spot.

Treble-chasing PSG will be heavy favorites to win the Coupe de France when they play Reims in the final May 24. If PSG do indeed beat Reims, the Europa League berth reserved for the cup winners will transfer down to the sixth-placed finisher (Lyon), and the Conference League spot would then pass down to Strasbourg, who ended the season in seventh.

Relegation and promotion

Ligue 1’s relegation system is similar to that of the Bundesliga. The bottom two teams tumble to the second tier, while the 16th-place finisher gets a chance at salvation in a playoff against a team from Ligue 2.

Montpellier, after a 16-year stint in Ligue 1, were the first team officially relegated. Saint-Etienne, 10-time French champions, joined them on the final day of the season.

Le Havre looked destined for the playoff, but secured safety in stunning fashion, scoring a 99th-minute penalty to beat Strasbourg 3-2 and jump up to 15th in the table with one of the very last kicks of the season. That saw Reims tumble to 16th, meaning there’s a chance the club could both win the Coupe de France and get relegated in the same year.

In Ligue 2, Lorient clinched their promotion back to the top tier.

Paris FC, suddenly one of the richest clubs in France after a recent high-profile ownership change, completed their rise to Ligue 1, sealing promotion with five games left in the season. Their promotion should make things interesting in the French capital next season with Paris FC going up against Ligue 1 champions and neighbors Paris Saint-Germain. It’ll be the first season since 1989-90 that features two Paris clubs competing in France’s top flight.

Metz are playing Reims in the two-legged promotion/relegation playoff.

Diogo Cardoso / Getty Images Sport / Getty

The European Golden Shoe is awarded to the highest scorer across the top tiers of Europe’s various domestic leagues. Harry Kane took home the award in 2023-24 after racking up 36 Bundesliga tallies.

Only goals in league matches are considered, and a coefficient points system is used to weigh the strength of different leagues. The top five leagues based on UEFA’s rankings have a coefficient factor of two, while the leagues ranked sixth to 22nd by the governing body have a factor of 1.5. That’s why Sporting CP hitman Viktor Gyokeres has such a slender lead despite scoring 10 more goals than his nearest challenger so far this season.

If players are tied on points, the one who accumulated those points in fewer minutes on the field is ranked higher.

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The race to secure places in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League is one of the most exciting and difficult to predict in Premier League history.

Here is all you need to know, including the impact that Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win will have and how 10 Premier League teams could still qualify for Europe next season.

The top seven clubs are guaranteed to be playing in Europe next season, but only the top five will get a Champions League spot. And there is all to play for as there are only THREE POINTS separating the FIVE clubs who are ranked third to seventh.

There is another interesting race happening a little further down the table, with Brighton & Hove Albion and Brentford battling to finish eighth, which might be worth a place in European competition next season. AFC Bournemouth and Fulham can no longer finish eighth.

How do teams qualify for European competition?

UEFA Champions League

The top five teams in the Premier League – one more than the traditional top four – will qualify for next season’s Champions League.

This is because, thanks to the performances of Premier League clubs in all of UEFA’s competitions this season, England is guaranteed a top-two spot in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings, which earns a “European Performance Spot” (EPS).

The Premier League will actually have SIX clubs in next season’s Champions League – the top five teams in the league plus Tottenham Hotspur, who beat Manchester United 1-0 in the Europa League final on 21 May.

The battle to finish in the Premier League’s top five is very tight, with only Liverpool and Arsenal guaranteed a spot in there.

The race to secure the other three remaining places is wide open, with FIVE teams in the mix: Newcastle United, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.

Significantly, Forest host Chelsea on the final day of the season in a HUGE head-to-head.

Race for Champions League – final fixtures

Team MW38 Man City FUL (A) Newcastle EVE (H) Chelsea NFO (A) Aston Villa MUN (A) Nottingham Forest CHE (H)

UEFA Europa League

English football receives two Europa League places.

One is traditionally awarded to the fifth-placed finisher in the Premier League, but this season it will go to the sixth-placed team because England have received an additional fifth Champions League spot.

The other Europa League place goes to the winners of the FA Cup, Crystal Palace, after they beat Man City 1-0 in the final at Wembley Stadium.

UEFA Conference League

The winners of the EFL Cup qualify for the Conference League.

This season, Newcastle secured a European spot when they triumphed over Liverpool at Wembley, ending their 56-year wait for a trophy in the process.

How can the eighth-placed team get into Europe?

By rights, the winners of the Conference League get a place in the Europa League – and Chelsea have reached the Conference League final, facing Real Betis in Wroclaw, Poland on Wednesday 28 May.

If the Blues win that competition, their final position in the Premier League table would directly influence the eighth-placed team.

There are two ways that the eighth-placed team can get a place in the Conference League, according to ESPN’s Dale Johnson.

In BOTH scenarios, Chelsea would also need to win the Conference League final next Wednesday.

1) Chelsea finish seventh. This would happen if the Blues lose at Forest and Villa get at least a draw at Man Utd.

Champions League: 1st to 5th, plus Spurs as Europa League winners

Europa League: 6th, Crystal Palace as FA Cup winners, plus Chelsea as Conference League winners (7th)

Conference League: 8th

2) Chelsea finish sixth and Newcastle finish seventh. This would happen if Chelsea lose at Forest, Villa get at least a draw at Man Utd AND Newcastle lose at home to Everton by three more goals than Chelsea lose at Forest, so they fall below Chelsea on goal difference.

Champions League: 1st to 5th, plus Spurs as Europa League winners

Europa League: Newcastle (7th), Crystal Palace as FA Cup winners, Chelsea as Conference League winners (6th)

Conference League: 8th

In either of these scenarios, the Premier League would have 10 teams – HALF of the Premier League – playing in Europe next season.

For the two clubs looking to finish eighth – Brighton and Brentford – there is still all to play for.

Brighton need a point from their final match away at Spurs to secure eighth place, but if they lose and Brentford win at Wolves on the final day, the Bees’ superior goal difference will mean they finish in eighth spot instead.

All eyes would then turn to the Conference League final next Wednesday.

Race for eighth – final fixtures

How finishing eighth can get into Europe this weekend

The narrative of the Premier League’s final weekend will revolve around the battle for European football.

Five teams are battling for three places in the Champions League, with just three points between Manchester City in third and Nottingham Forest in seventh.

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Further down the table, Brighton and Brentford will be keeping a close eye on the results around them.

Eighth place could yet lead to European football for next season. Brighton occupy that spot ahead of their final-day trip to Europa League winners Tottenham Hotspur. Brentford, who travel to Wolves, will finish eighth if they win and Brighton lose.

Nine teams from the Premier League are already guaranteed to play in Europe next season and circumstances could see a tenth join them.

How finishing eighth can get into Europe

Brighton and Brentford’s hopes will hinge on Chelsea’s conclusion to the campaign. The eighth-place hopefuls need the Blues to end the Premier League season seventh and win Wednesday’s Europa Conference League final against Real Betis.

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The Conference League winners are given a place in the following season’s Europa League, thus pushing the Premier League’s Conference League place down the table.

Chelsea will finish seventh in the Premier League if they lose at Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa avoid defeat at Manchester United.

Read – When does the 2025 summer transfer window open?

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The season is nearly done. The title has been decided. Relegation has been decided. But the European places? Very much not decided, with everyone from third to seven still yet to discover which European competition they’ll be in next season as we head into the final day.

And it’s still possible that half the teams in the Premier League will be in Europe next season.

But how and what does each team involved need to do to achieve their dreams? That’s right, strap in everybody: it’s permutations time.

Let’s start with what we know for sure, and then get into the long grass of the club-by-club requirements.

The certainties are these:

* Liverpool and Arsenal will be in the Champions League.

* The current top seven will all finish in the top seven and will all be in European competition of some kind, but at this point any of them below the top two could wind up in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference.

* The final top five will all be in the Champions League.

* Crystal Palace will be in the Europa League for winning the FA Cup; they cannot impact anything further via their league position.

* Tottenham will be in the Champions League as Europa League holders; they most definitely cannot impact anything further via their league position.

This means the Premier League is guaranteed at least nine teams in Europe next season, six of them in the Champions League. It’s still possible for that total number to balloon to 10…we’ll get to that later. For now, the team-by-team final-day permutations for the all-important top-five finish…

Arsenal

Nice and easy. They are guaranteed Champions League football and are almost certain to finish second for the third season in a row.

Arsenal will finish second in the Premier League if:

They avoid defeat at Southampton.

OR

Manchester City fail to beat Fulham. And even if Arsenal lose and City win, it still also requires an eight-goal swing on goal difference. File this one under ‘unlikely’.

Manchester City

Victory over Bournemouth on Tuesday night has made City’s top-five task significantly easier, even if not really their top-two chances.

Man City will finish in the top five and secure Champions League football if:

They beat Fulham. And realistically, a draw will be enough given Aston Villa’s significantly inferior goal difference.

OR

They lose to Fulham and at least two of the following things happen

* Newcastle fail to beat Everton

* Aston Villa fail to beat Manchester United

* Chelsea fail to beat Nottingham Forest Forest can theoretically also catch City in this scenario by beating Chelsea but require an outlandish 14-goal swing to do so.

Newcastle United

It’s got slightly dicey for Newcastle after defeat at Arsenal on Sunday, but Champions League football remains effectively in their own hands.

Newcastle will finish in the top five and secure Champions League football if:

They beat Everton. It’s not mathematically quite that simple, but in reality it is entirely that simple. If Chelsea, Man City and Aston Villa also all win on the final day, Villa would need to beat Man United by 13 goals more than Newcastle beat Everton to knock them out of the top five. Even allowing for Man United being very silly indeed, this is not going to happen.

OR

They draw with Everton and one of the following things happen:

* Chelsea and Nottingham Forest draw

* Aston Villa fail to beat Manchester United

OR

They lose by three goals or less to Everton and Aston Villa lose to Manchester United. We’re again assuming no wildly unlikely goal-difference swings, but there is one caveat here that is unlikely but just about drifts into the realm of the feasible. If Newcastle lose by four goals to Everton and Chelsea lose by one goal to Nottingham Forest, both Chelsea and Forest would finish above Newcastle.

Chelsea

Chelsea are in a similar position to Newcastle, with the same number of points and a goal-difference deficit of just two, meaning that they can plausibly overhaul Newcastle even if both win (or even both lose, as outlined above) but more importantly means that they, like Newcastle, have what amounts in reality to an extra point compared to Aston Villa.

Chelsea will finish in the top five and secure Champions League football if:

They beat Nottingham Forest. It’s not mathematically quite that simple, but in reality it is entirely that simple. If Newcastle, Man City and Aston Villa also take maximum points from their remaining games, Villa would need to beat Man United by 11 goals more than Chelsea beat Forest to knock them out of the top five. Even allowing for Man United being very silly indeed, this is not going to happen.

OR

They draw with Nottingham Forest and at least one of the following things happens:

* Aston Villa fail to beat Manchester United

* Newcastle lose to Everton

OR

They lose to Nottingham Forest and both the following things happen

* Aston Villa lose to Manchester United

* Newcastle lose to Everton by three goals more than Chelsea lose to Forest

Aston Villa

Goal difference could prove Aston Villa’s undoing in such a tight battle here, because theirs is conspicuously worse than the teams around them. They need 11-goal and 13-goal swings to overhaul Chelsea and Newcastle respectively on goal difference and we have taken the decision to consider that impossible and thus ignore scenarios that require it. Which all means the Premier League’s first ever 14-0 win is now surely on the cards.

Aston Villa will finish in the top five and secure Champions League football if:

They beat Manchester United and at least one of the following happens:

* Man City lose to Fulham

* Newcastle fail to beat Everton

OR

They draw with Manchester United and Newcastle lose to Everton

Nottingham Forest

The outsiders of the bunch despite Sunday’s win at West Ham keeping them in the hunt. It is still so tight that anything can happen, and the fact Forest face a direct rival in Chelsea does at least leave them relying on less assistance from elsewhere to make the leap from seventh to fifth on the final day.

Nottingham Forest will finish in the top five and secure Champions League football if:

They beat Chelsea and at least one of the following happens

* Newcastle fail to beat Everton

* Aston Villa fail to beat Manchester United

Forest can mathematically finish in the top five with a draw, but only if Newcastle and Chelsea lose by 10 and eight goals respectively.

How eighth place could still deliver European football for Brighton or Brentford

Chelsea are the key to this. We won’t get too bogged down in the specifics of why (SPOILER ALERT: we will), but it all comes down to the fact that the extra Champions League place awarded for topping the coefficient charts this year is the last thing that will be factored in by UEFA after they’ve sorted out all the spots for assorted competition winners and the like, and that this bonus spot is always a +1 to a country’s total number of qualifiers.

You don’t need to understand this, we’re not really sure we do, what you need to know is that this means a tenth European spot opens up for English clubs if a couple of specific conditions are met.

First and crucially, Chelsea have to win the Europa Conference League and thus the Europa League spot that goes with it. And they need to finish outside the Premier League’s European spots before the fifth Champions League place has been added. Keeping up? Good.

There are two ways this can happen. If Chelsea finish seventh, they are immediately outside the European places before the coefficient place is factored in.

This is easy enough. Top four are Champions League, fifth is Europa League, and sixth is either someone taking a top-five Newcastle’s Conference League spot from the Carabao, or Newcastle themselves and thus materially irrelevant to where everyone ends up. Okay?

The other way is for Chelsea to finish sixth and Newcastle seventh. This is less likely because it requires goal-difference swings as well as results to fall into place. Again, though, it would place Chelsea outside the original European qualifying places before the bonus place gets involved: top four Champions League, fifth place Europa League, Newcastle in Conference League as Carabao winners, Palace in Europa League as FA Cup winners.

That would mean that when all the machinations have concluded, that seventh-placed Newcastle would be promoted to the Europa League and the Conference League spot moves to eighth.

If Chelsea finish in the top five, there will be no further change to England’s allocation.

If Chelsea finish sixth with anyone other than Newcastle seventh, England will end up with six teams in the Champions League, three in the Europa League and none in the Conference.

Again, there is no great need to understand this, just to accept it. So in a nutshell:

Eighth place in the Premier League will qualify for the Conference League if:

Chelsea win the Conference League AND Chelsea finish seventh or Chelsea finish sixth and Newcastle finish seventh.

And that would mean the top eight in the Premier League as well as FA Cup winners Crystal Palace and either Spurs or Man United as Europa League winners would all be in Europe next season, giving England 10 competitors in total.

As to who will finish eighth, that is at least now mercifully simple.

* Brighton will finish eighth if they avoid defeat at Tottenham or Brentford fail to beat Wolves.

* Brentford will finish eighth if they beat Wolves and Brighton lose to Tottenham.

Brighton and Brentford still have an outside chance of qualifying for Europe – but need Chelsea to win the Conference League and finish seventh in the Premier League.

The final matches in the Premier League take place on Sunday and there is still a scenario in which 10 of the teams, external would be playing in European competition in 2025-26.

Six English clubs will be in the Champions League – Liverpool and Arsenal have already secured their spots and will be joined by three of Manchester City, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest.

Manchester United play Tottenham in the final of the Europa League in Bilbao, Spain on Wednesday and the winner of that match will also be in next season’s Champions League.

Crystal Palace’s 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final has taken the Eagles into the 2025-26 Europa League, where they will be joined by whichever team finishes sixth in the Premier League.

The complication comes with Newcastle, whose Carabao Cup victory has ensured themselves a Conference League place at least. But if they finish sixth they would go into the Europa League instead, while a top-five place for Eddie Howe’s team would move them into the Champions League instead.

Chelsea play Real Betis in the Conference League final on Wednesday, 28 May, with the winner qualifying for the Europa League. But Enzo Maresca’s Blues also could still claim Champions League football with a top-five Premier League finish.

If Chelsea win the Conference League and come seventh, that would open up their Conference League place to the Premier League team which finishes eighth – with Brighton, who beat Liverpool 3-2 on Monday, in that spot, although Brentford could still overtake them.

It is a similar situation if Chelsea win the Conference League and come sixth, with Newcastle seventh, meaning eighth in the Premier League would again be enough for European competition.

If Chelsea lose the Conference League final or finish in a Champions League place, the picture becomes much clearer.

The top five plus the Europa League winners would be in the Champions League, Crystal Palace and the sixth-placed team would be in the Europa League and the side that finishes seventh in the Premier League would be in the Conference League.

Bournemouth’s hopes of qualifying for Europe for the first time in their history ended on Tuesday with their 3-1 loss to Manchester City.

Brighton will finish eighth if they get a draw at Tottenham, while Brentford, who play at Wolves, will be hoping the Seagulls slip up.