LONDON: The Premier League will be guaranteed at least five teams in the 2025-26 Champions League edition following Arsenal’s stunning 3-0 win over Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie on Tuesday.

The English top flight needed just one win from its clubs in any of the three European competitions to secure one of two extra berths — on top of the four granted to the top four in the table — awarded to the highest-ranked countries in the UEFA coefficient ranking.

In this system, teams earn two points for a win and one for a draw, adding up all the points obtained by each club and dividing by the number of clubs from that league participating in Europe.

England could have up to seven teams in the upcoming Champions League if Aston Villa win this year’s edition without qualifying through the Premier League table, and if either Manchester United or Tottenham Hot­s­pur are crowned in the Europa League.

Italy lead the race for the second additional place, with Spain and Germany trailing behind.

Premier League leaders Liverpool and second-placed Arsenal look set to claim two of the five available berths, while Nottingham Forest hold a strong third position.

But there is a scrap for the remaining Champions League spots as Chelsea, Newcastle United, Manch­ester City, As­t­on Villa, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Bournem­outh remain within eight points of each other.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2025