The Premier League will have six representatives in the UEFA Champions League next season for the first time in history.
This unprecedented development comes on the back of both Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur securing spots in the UEFA Europa League final, ensuring that England sets a new record in European football.
This feat marks the first occasion not only for the Premier League but for any European nation to have more than five clubs qualify for a single Champions League campaign.
How Did It Happen?
Prior to Thursday’s UEFA fixtures, the Premier League was already confirmed to receive five slots in next season’s Champions League.
This was due to the league’s exceptional performance across all UEFA competitions in the current campaign, which secured England a top-two finish in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings.
That distinction comes with a European Performance Spot, awarding an additional Champions League berth.
Premier League Claims a Fifth Spot
This means that as well as the top four-placed teams in the Premier League, the club finishing fifth in 2024/25 will also go straight into the Champions League next season.
However, with the Europa League final now set to be contested between Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur, both of whom are out of top-five contention in the league table, the Premier League will now send a sixth club to Europe’s elite competition.
Why a Sixth Team Will Join the Party
Since Man Utd will face Spurs in the final, and both clubs are mathematically unable to finish in the top five of this season’s Premier League, it is guaranteed that ONE of them will win the Europa League and enter next season’s Champions League as the sixth Premier League entrant.
Winning the Europa League remains a direct pathway into the Champions League, which either United or Spurs will now claim.
Looking Back: England’s Previous High
Prior to this upcoming milestone, the highest number of English participants in a single Champions League season stood at five.
It was in 2017/18 when 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 Premier League’s top four.
All five English clubs went on to reach the knockout stage, making England the first ever country to have five teams in the competition’s last 16.
There was a similar moment in 2005/06, but with a twist. After Liverpool won the Champions League in 2004/05 despite not finishing in the top four domestically, they were allowed to defend their title.
However, Everton, who finished fourth in the Premier League, failed to reach the group stage after losing a qualifier to Villarreal, meaning only four English clubs made the main draw.
Other Nations’ Records
Spain’s LaLiga has managed five teams in the Champions League in three different seasons: 2015/16, 2021/22, and 2023/24. The Bundesliga has done the same in 2022/23 and 2024/25, while Serie A reached that number this current season.
The Premier League narrowly missed out on sending five clubs this season, the first to implement the EPS system, after finishing behind Italy and Germany in the UEFA coefficient rankings.
A New Era for English Football
With six clubs guaranteed to participate in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League, English football is set to break new ground, underlining the Premier League’s growing strength and consistency on the European stage.
