How Many Premier League Teams Will Qualify for the Champions League Next Season?

While Liverpool storming their way through the Premier League table under Arne Slot’s deft touch has been the talk of the town throughout His Majesty’s League this season, Mo Salah, Ibrahima Konaté, Virgil van Dijk and the rest of the gents from Anfield aren’t the only ballers playing quality footy across the pond.

The 15-point gap between the first-place Reds and Arsenal in second place might suggest otherwise, but outside of the EPL in the UEFA Champions League, the Gunners have looked every bit the worthy contender. Thanks to Declan Rice’s two masterful free kicks en route to trouncing Real Madrid 3-0, next season in the Champions League will be crowded with even more Premier League squads. But how does that work? And what are the rules? Before the thought of wrapping your noodle around so much quality football overwhelms you, here’s a look at everything you need to know when it comes to Premier League clubs staking their claim next season in the UEFA Champions League.

How many Premier League teams typically compete in the Champions League?

According to UEFA guidelines, the English Premier League in the past was automatically awarded four spots that would go to the quartet of clubs that finished atop the EPL table.

The same number of slots are likewise given to Europe’s other elite football leagues – Germany’s Bundesliga, Italy’s Series A and Spain’s La Liga. France’s Ligue 1 is the fifth European league that will see multiple teams compete in the Champions League.

What are the changes for Champions League entry next season?

Four additional teams will be slotted in to the group stage of the Champions League next season for a total of 36 squads on one big group table instead of the old format, which saw 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four clubs.

Furthermore, the two best-performing leagues in Europe will each be awarded an extra spot in what’s called a “European Performance Spot.” Since England leads the current co-efficient standings ahead of Spain in second and Italy in third, the Premier League team that finishes in fifth place this year will also punch their ticket to the Champions League.

Each country’s co-efficient ranking is devised from the success of their clubs in UEFA’s Champions League, the Europa League and Conference League. Teams earn co-efficient points through play – one point for a draw, two points for a win.

Could the Premier League send seven clubs to the Champions League?

In short, yes! Considering only 11 points currently separate Newcastle in third place on the Premier League table from Brighton & Hove Albion in ninth place, the already fiercely competitive play is spilling over into the Champions League and Europa League. Since the winner of each automatically clinches a berth for the UCL next season, the Premier League could have its top-five teams on the table, plus the respective winners of each of those battling it out on the pitch next year in the Champions League.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United are through to the semi-finals of the Europa League, yet they most likely won’t finish in the top half of the EPL. Per SkySports, even if Arsenal slips out of the top five on the Premier League table, giving way to perhaps Aston Villa, the Gunners would still manage to score a berth by winning the Champion’s League this year.

The pressure is continuing to mount on Chelsea, who currently sit in fifth place but have the same point aggregate (60) as Nottingham Forest just below them. The final weeks of nail-biting Premier League play will see the Blues in potentially precarious situations when they travel to face Newcastle on May 11, followed by another away match, this time against the Tricky Trees to close out the season.

Thus, if our math’s not too befuddling, a grand total of seven Premier League clubs, although unlikely, could find themselves competing in the UEFA Champions League next year. Per The Football Faithful, this scenario would mark the first time a nation has earned more than five slots in a single season.  

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