Eight teams for one spot and losing may help - the amazing battle for a sixth UEFA Champions League place in the Premier League
Published 30/04/2026 at 15:50 GMT+1
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Four games to go in the Premier League season and eight teams in contention to qualify for a potential UEFA Champions League spot.
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Sounds like a lot? Let us explain.
It has been confirmed that five Premier League teams will qualify for next season’s UEFA Champions League through their league position (that’s because of the Premier League earning a European Performance Spot for finishing top of UEFA's co-efficient table).
But the sixth-placed team in the Premier League could also get a place in Europe’s top-tier competition.
For that to happen, Aston Villa would need to win the UEFA Europa League AND finish in fifth in the Premier League.
As Villa would qualify for the Champions League by virtue of winning the Europa League, the European Performance Spot would then pass down from fifth to sixth.
Villa are facing Nottingham Forest in the Europa League semi-finals, with both legs live on TNT Sports and HBO Max on April 30 and May 7.
They are currently fifth in the Premier League, level on points with fourth-placed Liverpool, both three behind Manchester United.
There’s then an eight-point gap to Brighton in sixth, which is where things get interesting.
Who could finish sixth?
The battle for sixth goes deep.
Even relegation-battling Leeds and Nottingham Forest are not mathematically out of it, but with just 12 points left to play for this season it seems unlikely they will win out and overhaul all the teams above them.
Newcastle, who are in 14th place, sit eight points behind sixth-placed Brighton and could find themselves in the mix if they can improve their form.
Crystal Palace are a point above and have a game in hand, although they also have the UEFA Conference League semi-finals to focus on.
From Sunderland in 12th place the battle for sixth looks alive.
The Black Cats are only four points behind Brighton and finish their season against two top-six rivals in Everton and Chelsea.
The battle for sixth in the Premier League
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Everton are one point above Sunderland with three teams - Fulham, Brentford and Chelsea - all a further point above on 48.
Chelsea have lost their past five Premier League games in a row, which led to Liam Rosenior losing his job.
Brentford have stayed in the mix despite five draws and one loss in their past six league games, while Fulham beat Aston Villa last time out.
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Bournemouth and Brighton are the current front-runners to finish sixth.
Bournemouth are unbeaten since January 3 but might rue a 97th-minute equaliser conceded in their most recent game against Leeds.
Brighton look the form team among the group with four wins in their past five games.
What happens if Villa don’t finish fifth?
If Villa win the Europa League but don’t finish fifth in the Premier League then only the top five will qualify for the Champions League.
But there could still be six English teams in the Champions League.
For that to happen, Villa would need to fall out of the top five and win the Europa League.
The top five teams in the Premier League would then qualify along with Villa as Europa League champions.
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What if Nottingham Forest win the Europa League?
If Forest win the Europa League then there will be six Premier League teams in next season’s Champions League.
Forest will qualify as Europa League champions along with the top five in the Premier League.
Why Brentford may want to lose to qualify for UCL
With Villa needing to finish fifth to open up the chance for sixth to qualify for the Champions League, there could be a bizarre scenario where losing on the final day of the season would help a team.
The last round of Premier League matches this season takes place on May 24, a few days after the Europa League final.
Brentford finish their season against Liverpool, who could be in a battle with Villa for third, fourth, or fifth.
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If Brentford are in sixth with a comfortable lead over seventh, then it could beneficial for them to lose to Liverpool so they could finish higher than Villa.
That could then see Villa, who face Manchester City away on the final day, end up fifth and Brentford securing Champions League football.
The same could also apply to Brighton, who face Manchester United on the final day.
It may benefit Brighton to lose to United, currently three points clear of Villa, so that the final league positions work out in their favour.
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