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The Premier League is set to have five teams in the Champions League next season, but incredible results could lead to a record-breaking seven English representatives.
The Premier League is on track to secure five spots in next season's Champions League, thanks to its dominant coefficient. However, under extraordinary circumstances, England could field a staggering seven teams in the competition.
England’s guaranteed four spots in the Champions League are set to expand to five. This is because the new format awards an additional berth to leagues with the highest coefficient performance in the previous season. The Premier League, given its success, will almost certainly claim this spot.
How seven English teams could qualify
For the Premier League to achieve seven representatives, two specific scenarios must occur:
- Manchester City wins the Champions League but finishes outside the top five in the league table.
- Tottenham Hotspur wins the Europa League and also finishes outside the top five.
Under UEFA rules, both the Champions League and Europa League winners earn automatic entry into the next season’s Champions League. If neither City nor Spurs qualifies through their league positions, this could result in:
- The top four teams in the Premier League qualifying as usual.
- The fifth-place team qualifying through the league’s coefficient bonus.
- City and Spurs entering as European competition winners.
A once-in-a-lifetime scenario?
While this alignment of results is rare, it isn’t impossible. With City’s quality in Europe despite their domestic struggles and Spurs’ strong run in the Europa League, the Premier League could make history by sending a third of its teams to Europe’s elite competition.