Last Updated:
Liverpool’s loss to Brighton today would make several mid-table teams happy. There’s a chance that as many as seven PL teams can qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Here’s how.
Liverpool’s Arne Slot
Liverpool suffered their tenth loss of the 2025-26 Premier League season against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium on Saturday (March 21). They stayed in fifth spot, just one point ahead of Chelsea, who have a game in hand, and thus put the Champions League qualification at a huge risk.
However, one man’s misery is another’s profit. The teams just below them in the league will rejoice because the closer the mid-table is in points, the more chances for UEFA to add extra Champions League spots for the Premier League.
Under the new ‘Swiss Model’ format, the top two performing nations in UEFA competitions — Champions League, Europa League and Conference League — earn an extra European Performance Spot (EPS) for the following season. As of March 2026, England leads the coefficient rankings and requires minimal further success to secure a fifth Champions League spot for the Premier League next season.
There is a situation where up to seven Premier League teams could end up playing in the Champions League, and it all depends on how English clubs perform in Europe this season.
If Aston Villa win the Europa League, they automatically qualify for the Champions League, no matter where they finish in the league. The same goes for Liverpool if they win the Champions League.
Now, if both teams win their respective European competitions but finish fifth and sixth in the Premier League, an extra Champions League spot opens up. That would allow the team finishing seventh in the league to also qualify for the competition.
This would have a knock-on effect on the other European places. Depending on the exact finishing positions of Villa and Liverpool, either the Conference League spot could disappear, or one of the Europa League spots could be removed, with eighth place moving into one of those competitions instead.
Because the table is so tight, several teams are still in the mix to benefit from this. Clubs like Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, and Newcastle United could still take advantage if results go their way.
There is also a separate scenario where Crystal Palace could qualify for the Europa League by winning the Conference League, adding another layer to how the final European spots are decided.
March 21, 2026, 9:13 PM IST
Read More
Source link
[ad_3]
