Champions League: how the Premier League could field up to seven clubs in 2026–2027

The Premier League is already guaranteed to send five representatives to the Champions League next season. But in a scenario that remains unlikely, that total could rise to seven clubs – a first in the competition’s history.

Some have experienced the European Cup with just eight teams. More than three decades later, they could find themselves with a Champions League featuring… seven English teams.

A fifth spot already secured, a fierce battle in the league

As things stand, five clubs are guaranteed a place in the next Champions League: the top four in the Premier League, plus the fifth via the UEFA bonus. And the battle for that extra spot promises to be extremely tight. Currently, Liverpool occupy that fifth spot with 49 points, closely followed by Chelsea (48 pts), whilst Brentford and Everton (46 pts) lie in wait. Further down the table, Newcastle (42 pts) and even Bournemouth, in 13th place, are just seven points adrift with seven games remaining, evidence of a tightly packed mid-table.

At the top of the table, Arsenal (70 points), Manchester City (61 points), Manchester United (55 points) and Aston Villa (54 points) have established a more or less comfortable lead in this thrilling race. The Gunners, who have pulled clear at the top of the table, are already guaranteed a top-five finish, which rules out certain extreme scenarios from the outset. For the others, however, nothing is set in stone yet, and the slightest slip-up could reshuffle the pack in this battle for fifth place, which has become strategic.

A scenario involving six or seven clubs… highly conditional

To exceed this total of five clubs, specific provisions of the UEFA regulations must be met. A sixth place would be awarded if an English club wins a major European competition without finishing in the top five. In the Champions League, this currently applies only to Liverpool, as Arsenal are locked into the top five: the Reds would therefore need to have a perfect European run (PSG, then Real or Bayern, and finally Arsenal, Sporting, Barça or Atlético) whilst faltering in the league, which remains a delicate balance to strike over the long term.

The seven-team scenario, however, would require a rare alignment of the stars. Two conditions would have to be met: an English winner of the Champions League outside the top five, and an English winner of the Europa League also outside the top five. In the latter competition, Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest are still in contention, but their situations differ greatly: Villa, in 4th place with a six-point lead over Chelsea, would need both to win the competition and finish outside the top five, whilst Forest, in 16th place, would naturally fulfil the condition… provided they pull off a European upset by first knocking out FC Porto.