Below is a breakdown of how Premier League teams can qualify to play in UEFA club competitions.
(Please note UEFA reserves the right to change the conditions of the access list so these criteria can be subject to change.)
UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification
Four UCL places are automatically given to English clubs who fulfil the following criteria:
- The top four teams in the Premier League qualify for the league phase.
(See below about how a fifth team can qualify for the UCL)
UEFA Europa League (UEL) qualification
Two UEL places are given to English clubs who fulfil the following criteria:
- The fifth-placed team in the Premier League qualify for the league phase (or sixth-placed team if the top five clubs qualify for the UCL as above).
- The winners of the FA Cup qualify for the league phase.
UEFA Conference League qualification
The EFL Cup winners qualify for the playoff stages.
| Pos Pos | Club | Pl Pl | GD | Pts Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Liverpool
LIV
|
12 | +16 | 31 |
| 2 |
Man City
MCI
|
12 | +5 | 23 |
| 3 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
12 | +9 | 22 |
| 4 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
12 | +9 | 22 |
| 5 |
Brighton
BHA
|
12 | +5 | 22 |
| 6 |
Spurs
TOT
|
12 | +14 | 19 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
12 | +2 | 19 |
| 8 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
12 | 0 | 19 |
| 9 |
Fulham
FUL
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
12 | 0 | 18 |
| 11 |
Brentford
BRE
|
12 | 0 | 17 |
| 12 |
Man Utd
MUN
|
12 | 0 | 16 |
| 13 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
12 | -1 | 15 |
Where these qualifications change
a) If the FA Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League, their UEL league-phase place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
b) If the EFL Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League (or top six in the event of (a) above), their Conference League playoff place will go to the next-highest ranked team that have not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
How does winning UCL/UEL affect qualification?
Should a Premier League club win the UEFA Champions League, they will automatically qualify for the league phase of next season's competition regardless of their finishing position in the league.
Should a Premier League club win the UEFA Europa League, they will automatically qualify for the league phase of next season's UEFA Champions League regardless of their finishing position in the league.
If a club win the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League and finish in the top four, their qualification for the UCL through their league position is not transferred to another team.
If a Premier League club win the UEFA Champions League and/or another club win the UEFA Europa League and neither have qualified for UEFA competitions through their league positions or by winning the FA Cup or EFL Cup, they will qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
The winners of the UEFA Conference League are guaranteed a place in the UEFA Europa League league phase.
If a Premier League club win the UEFA Conference League and do not qualify for the UEFA Europa League via the Premier League or the FA Cup, then they enter the UEFA Europa League league phase as an additional club.
Any team qualifying for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League by winning a UEFA club competition (UCC) does not impact the qualification of other teams through their league position or by winning a domestic cup.
How the Premier League can earn a fifth UCL spot
Two leagues in Europe this season will be rewarded with an extra place in the UEFA Champions League based on the record of their clubs in all of UEFA’s club competitions this campaign.
This will be based on “association club coefficient” of the season, which is calculated by the total number of club coefficient points obtained by each club from an association divided by the number of participating clubs from that association.
In short, if the Premier League clubs progress deep into the UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League knockout stages to the extent that their association club coefficient is ranked first or second by UEFA, the League will earn one additional automatic place in the league phase ("European Performance Spot").
As this goes to the club ranked next-best in the Premier League behind those clubs that have already qualified directly for the league phase, the club finishing fifth would go straight into the UEFA Champions League.
If fifth place in the Premier League does turn into a UEFA Champions League spot, the positions that qualify for the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League will also move down the table by one place.