As the 2024/25 Premier League season nears its conclusion, the contest for European qualification is reaching fever pitch. With only two matchweeks remaining, the competition for spots in next season’s UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League is more intense than ever. The race currently extends as far down as eighth position on the table.
Thanks to England’s impressive performance in this season’s UEFA competitions, an additional Champions League place has been granted. This development means that the top five teams in the Premier League will now secure qualification for the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League.
The margins are razor-thin, with just four points separating the teams occupying third to seventh positions, setting up a dramatic final chapter in the league campaign.
Liverpool are the only team with a confirmed top-five finish so far. Meanwhile, Arsenal, Newcastle United, Manchester City, Chelsea, Aston Villa, and Nottingham Forest remain in contention for the remaining Champions League slots.
Arsenal, currently sitting in second place with 68 points, have hit a rough patch, registering just one win in their last six league games. Their recent 2-2 stalemate against Liverpool on Sunday means they need only two more points to secure a top-five finish.
Newcastle United climbed into third place after a solid 2-0 win over Chelsea, while Manchester City dropped to fourth following a goalless draw away to Southampton, leaving them on 65 points.
Chelsea and Aston Villa are locked on 63 points in fifth and sixth places respectively. Villa, however, appear to have the upper hand, having won six of their last seven matches and showing strong late-season form.
Seventh-placed Nottingham Forest failed to capitalise on a chance to leapfrog Chelsea, drawing 2-2 with Leicester City. The result marked Forest’s continued slump, with just one win in their last six fixtures.
Focus is also intensifying in the mid-table zone, where only four points separate Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, Bournemouth, and Fulham, who occupy eighth to 11th places. This portion of the table could become crucial, as the team finishing eighth may gain European entry depending on the outcomes of the FA Cup and EFL Cup.
Two domestic cup finals could prove decisive in reshaping European qualifications.
Manchester City are set to face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on 17 May. If City lift the trophy and also finish within the Champions League qualification spots through the league, the associated Europa League berth would be handed down to the next-highest Premier League side that has not already secured European qualification.
Likewise, Newcastle’s EFL Cup triumph over Liverpool has already secured them a place in the UEFA Conference League. However, if Newcastle qualify for a higher-tier competition via league position, their Conference League spot will also be passed down to the next eligible team.
This chain reaction raises the possibility that the club finishing eighth in the Premier League could secure European football. Brentford and Fulham are set to clash in a pivotal west London derby on 18 May that could play a major role in deciding that fate.
Bournemouth still have to take on Manchester City and Leicester, while Brighton will host Liverpool before concluding their campaign away at Tottenham Hotspur.
As a result of England’s extra Champions League spot, sixth place in the league now guarantees a Europa League berth. The second Europa League ticket will be handed to the winner of the FA Cup.
With multiple scenarios yet to unfold, the final two matchweeks of the Premier League season are set to deliver gripping action and high stakes, as clubs jostle for a prized place in European competition.
