Frank Christian
As we enter the final week of the domestic season, many European title contests, such as the Premier League, have reached their conclusion, yet there’s still significant action to behold.
The spotlight is predominantly on the race for UEFA club competition qualifications, primarily determined by league standings across the various European leagues.
While the Premier League’s contest for European spots has created an electrifying finish to the season—amidst a lack of tight title and relegation battles—the exact positions are still up for grabs, leaving teams vying for a coveted Champions League spot.
Across the top five European leagues, several positions remain unfilled, despite two leagues already wrapping up their seasons. Some qualification slots hinge on domestic cup outcomes, keeping the race lively even after league campaigns have concluded.
The Sporting News provides an overview of the current standings in all five European leagues as the seasons close, detailing what each contending team requires on the final day to enter various competitions next season.
Chase for Europe: UEFA qualification scenarios and standings
Here’s a snapshot of the situation in the top five leagues regarding European qualifications for 2025/26.
Premier League
Teams moving into Europe
| Competition | ||||||
| Champions League | Liverpool | Arsenal | TBD (3rd place) | TBD (4th place) | TBD (5th place) | Tottenham |
| Europa League | TBD (6th place) | Crystal Palace | ||||
| Conference League | TBD (Newcastle OR 7th place) |
The race for European positions in the Premier League is particularly intricate, influenced by multiple clubs reaching European finals.
There’s a potential scenario where as many as 10 clubs could finish with European qualifications, depending on various outcomes.
What we know so far includes:
- England and Spain have each secured a total of five Champions League spots for the next season.
- Liverpool and Arsenal have officially secured Champions League entries based on their league results.
- Crystal Palace’s FA Cup victory has confirmed their Europa League entry, reducing the available spots to just sixth place for that competition.
- Newcastle United’s Carabao Cup triumph guarantees them European football next season, likely in the Conference League unless they move up based on league positioning, which would push the Conference League spot to seventh place—their lowest possible finish.
- Tottenham’s success in the Europa League final against Manchester United has secured their Champions League spot.
- Due to a seven-point difference between Nottingham Forest and Brighton, the top seven places appear settled. However, eighth could still qualify for Europe if Chelsea wins the Conference League final and either they or Newcastle finish seventh.
Current Premier League standings
Key tiebreakers:
- Goal differential
- Goals scored
- Head-to-head records
Champions League standings
| Pos. | Club | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 1. | Liverpool–x | 37 | 83 | 25-8-4 | +45 |
| 2. | Arsenal–x | 37 | 71 | 19-14-4 | +34 |
| 3. | Man City–z | 37 | 68 | 20-8-9 | +26 |
| 4. | Newcastle–z | 37 | 66 | 20-6-11 | +22 |
| 5. | Chelsea–z | 37 | 66 | 19-9-9 | +20 |
x — secured Champions League
y — secured at least Europa League
z — secured at least Conference League
Europa League standings
| Pos. | Club | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 6. | Aston Villa–z | 37 | 66 | 19-9-9 | +9 |
Conference League standings
| Pos. | Club | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 7. | Nottingham Forest–z | 37 | 65 | 19-8-10 | +13 |
Challengers
| Pos. | Club | GP | Pts | W-D-L | GD |
| 8. | Brighton | 37 | 58 | 15-13-9 | +4 |
| 9. | Brentford | 37 | 55 | 16-7-14 | +9 |
European qualification scenarios for each club on the final day of the Premier League season
- Liverpool: Already secured Champions League entry
- Arsenal: Already secured Champions League entry
- Man City (@ Fulham): After gaining critical points midweek, Man City determines their Champions League fate on the last day. A loss at Fulham could jeopardize their position, as could a draw, but a victory ensures their place in the next European competition regardless of other results.
- Newcastle (vs. Everton): A win at St. James’ Park guarantees a Champions League spot, given their goal differential advantage over Aston Villa unless Villa somehow surpasses them by an impossible 13 goals. A draw, however, could put them at risk.
- Chelsea (@ Nottingham Forest): With their strong…
- Nottingham Forest (vs. Chelsea): Nottingham Forest benefits from facing a direct competitor for Europe on the last matchday. However, sitting two places below the Champions League spots means they require a victory against Chelsea and some external results to qualify. A win would guarantee at least a Europa League spot, but anything less would jeopardize their chances.
- Aston Villa (@ Man United): Due to their inferior goal differential, Aston Villa must not only win against Manchester United but also rely on other results to secure a Champions League berth.
La Liga
European Qualification Summary
Competition Champions League Barcelona Real Madrid Atletico Madrid Athletic Club Villarreal Europa League Real Betis TBD (7th place) Conference League TBD (8th place) - Both England and Spain have secured five slots for the Champions League for the upcoming season, with Spain’s five positions already filled.
- With Barcelona achieving a domestic treble, the remaining European places will be decided based on league standings.
- Real Betis has clinched the first Europa League spot.
- Celta Vigo, Rayo Vallecano, and Osasuna are in contention for the last two European spots, with seventh place offering a Europa League position and eighth a Conference League place. The ninth-place team will miss out on European competition.
Current La Liga Standings
Key tiebreakers:
- Head-to-head results
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches
- Overall goal difference
- Total goals scored
Champions League Slots
Pos Club GP Pts W-D-L GD 1. Barcelona–x 37 85 27-4-6 +60 2. Real Madrid–x 37 81 25-6-6 +38 3. Atletico Madrid–x 37 73 21-10-6 +34 4. Athletic Club–x 37 70 19-13-5 +28 5. Villarreal–x 37 67 19-10-8 +18 x — Champions League qualified
y — Europa League qualified
z — At least Conference League qualifiedEuropa League Slots
Pos Club GP Pts W-D-L GD 6. Real Betis–y 37 59 16-11-10 +7 7. Celta Vigo 37 52 15-7-15 +1 Conference League Position
Pos Club GP Pts W-D-L GD 8. Rayo Vallecano 37 51 13-12-12 -4 Chasing European Spots
Pos Club GP Pts W-D-L GD 9. Osasuna 37 51 12-15-10 -4 Final Matchday European Scenarios
- Barcelona: Secured Champions League qualification
- Real Madrid: Secured Champions League qualification
- Atletico Madrid: Secured Champions League qualification
- Athletic Club: Secured Champions League qualification
- Villarreal: Secured Champions League qualification
- Real Betis: Secured Europa League position
- Celta Vigo (@ Getafe): With a win, Celta secures sixth place; they can also finish high if they match Rayo Vallecano’s result on the final day.
- Rayo Vallecano (vs. Mallorca): Rayo can secure sixth with a win if Celta does not triumph. If both end up with the same points, Rayo’s superior head-to-head record will grant them the higher position.
- Osasuna (@ Alaves): A victory for Osasuna and failures from both Celta and Rayo would place them in sixth. Otherwise, if Osasuna draws or the other teams lose, they would still take sixth due to a higher goal tally in head-to-head matches against Celta.
- In case Celta, Rayo, and Osasuna end with equal points: Rankings will rely on points from matches between them: Rayo leads with 10 points from those fixtures, Celta has six, and Osasuna one. Thus, Rayo would finish sixth, Celta seventh, and Osasuna eighth.
Serie A
Teams Qualified for Europe
Competition Champions League Napoli Inter Milan Atalanta TBD (4th place) Europa League Bologna TBD (5th place) Conference League TBD (6th place) - Currently, Napoli, Inter Milan, and Atalanta have secured three of the Champions League spots, with the fourth remaining undecided among Juventus, Roma, and Lazio.
- Bologna obtained a Europa League position following their Coppa Italia victory, leaving AC Milan out of European competitions.
- Roma is guaranteed European play, though it’s unclear if it will be in the Europa or Conference League.
- Lazio and Fiorentina are in contention for the final European slot, with Fiorentina holding the head-to-head edge if both teams win or lose on the final matchday.
Serie A Standings
Key tiebreakers:
- Head-to-head encounters
- Goal difference in head-to-head
- Overall goal difference
- Total goals scored
record
- Goal difference in direct encounters
- Overall goal difference
- Total goals scored
- Napoli: Already guaranteed a spot in the Champions League
- Inter Milan: Already guaranteed a spot in the Champions League
- Atalanta: Already guaranteed a spot in the Champions League
- Juventus (@ Venezia): A victory ensures a Champions League position. A draw could leave them fifth based on Roma’s outcome. A defeat may place them fifth or sixth depending on results for Roma and Lazio.
- Roma (@ Torino): Winning ensures at least a place in the Europa League. If victorious and Juventus doesn’t win, Roma finishes fourth, qualifying for the Champions League. A loss coupled with a Lazio win means they’ll slip to sixth.
- Lazio (vs. Lecce): A win or draw enables them to secure at least sixth place. They can still aim for fourth if they win, Juventus loses, and Roma doesn’t win. A loss could see them overtaken by Fiorentina.
- Fiorentina (@ Udinese): They must win to keep hopes of a sixth-place finish alive. If victorious and Lazio loses, Fiorentina clinches sixth due to better head-to-head results.
- The Bundesliga season has concluded, leaving just the DFB-Pokal champion to be decided.
- The DFB-Pokal victor will secure a Europa League slot. The final match, featuring two teams (Stuttgart and Arminia Bielefeld) that haven’t qualified for either Champions League or Europa League, means only one Europa League position remains available from the standings.
- Goal difference
- Total goals scored
- Head-to-head record
- The Ligue 1 season has finished, leaving only the Coupe de France champion to be established.
- The final is set between PSG and Reims.
- If PSG wins, the Europa League position will be assigned to sixth-placed Lyon, and the Conference League position will go to seventh-placed Strasbourg.
- If Reims wins, they will obtain the Europa League position, with Lyon qualifying for the Conference League, thus leaving Strasbourg out of European competitions.
- Goal difference
- Head-to-head record
- Head-to-head results
- Goal difference, total goals scored, away goals scored(only applicable if three or more teams are tied)
- Total goals
Champions League Qualifications
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 1. | Napoli–x | 37 | 79 | 23-10-4 | +30 |
| 2. | Inter Milan–x | 37 | 78 | 23-9-5 | +42 |
| 3. | Atalanta–x | 37 | 74 | 22-8-7 | +42 |
| 4. | Juventus–z | 37 | 67 | 17-16-4 | +28 |
x — secured Champions League spot
y — secured at least Europa League spot
z — secured at least Conference League
Europa League Qualifications
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 5. | Roma–z | 37 | 66 | 19-9-9 | +19 |
Conference League Position
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 6. | Lazio | 37 | 65 | 18-8-11 | +13 |
Chasing the European Spots
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 7. | Fiorentina | 37 | 62 | 18-8-11 | +18 |
European Scenarios for Clubs on the Last Matchday of Serie A
Bundesliga
Teams Entering European Competitions
| Competition | ||||
| Champions League | Bayern Munich | Bayer Leverkusen | Eintracht Frankfurt | Borussia Dortmund |
| Europa League | Freiburg | TBD (DFB-Pokal winner) | ||
| Conference League | Mainz |
Bundesliga Table
Key tiebreakers:
Champions League Qualifications
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | W-D-L | Goal Difference |
| 1. | Bayern Munich–x | 34 | 82 | 25-7-2 | +67 |
| 2. | Bayer Leverkusen–x | 34 | 69 | 19-12-3 | +29 |
| 3. | Eintracht Frankfurt–x | 34 | 60 | 17-9-8 | +22 |
| 4. | Borussia Dortmund–x | 34 | 57 | 17-6-11 | +20 |
x — secured Champions League spot
y — secured Europa League spot
z — secured Conference League spot
Europa League Positions
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 5. | Freiburg–y | 34 | 55 | 16-7-11 | -4 |
Conference League Position
| Position | Team | Games Played | Points | Wins-Draws-Losses | Goal Difference |
| 6. | Mainz–z | 34 | 52 | 14-10-10 | +12 |
Ligue 1
European Qualification Teams
| Competition | ||||
| Champions League | PSG | Marseille | AS Monaco | OGC Nice* |
| Europa League | Lille | TBD (Reims OR Lyon) | ||
| Conference League | TBD (Lyon OR Strasbourg) |
* Enters the Champions League during the third qualifying round
Ligue 1 Standings
Key tiebreakers:
Champions League Spots
| Rank | Team | Matches Played | Points | Win-Draw-Loss | Goal Difference |
| 1. | PSG–x | 34 | 84 | 26-6-2 | +57 |
| 2. | Marseille–x | 34 | 65 | 20-5-9 | +27 |
| 3. | AS Monaco–x | 34 | 61 | 18-7-9 | +22 |
| 4. | OGC Nice–x | 34 | 60 | 17-9-8 | +25 |
x— secured a spot in the Champions League
y— secured a spot in the Europa League
z— secured a spot in the Conference League
Europa League Spots
| Rank | Team | Matches Played | Points | Win-Draw-Loss | Goal Difference |
| 5. | Lille–y | 34 | 60 | 17-9-8 | +16 |
Conference League Spot
| Rank | Team | Matches Played | Points | Win-Draw-Loss | Goal Difference |
| 7. | Lyon–z | 34 | 57 | 17-6-11 | +19 |
Challenging for a Spot
| Rank | Team | Matches Played | Points | Win-Draw-Loss | Goal Difference |
| 7. | Strasbourg | 34 | 57 | 16-9-9 | +12 |
