How it's possible: Two conditions under which Liverpool and Chelsea can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League despite missing the Premier League top 5.
On 5 May 2026, two conditions were revealed under which Liverpool and Chelsea can still qualify for next season's UEFA Champions League even if they fail to finish in the Premier League's top five.
The English Premier League has secured one special spot through UEFA's European Performance Spot (EPS), in addition to the usual league-based qualification spots for positions 1 to 4.
Looking at the current standings, the race for the last two UEFA Champions League spots beyond Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United—who have already secured their places—is still open, with teams as low as 8th place having a chance over the final three matches.
1. Arsenal (35 matches) 76 points *qualified for UCL
2. Manchester City (34 matches) 71 points *qualified for UCL
3. Manchester United (35 matches) 64 points *qualified for UCL
4. Liverpool (35 matches) 58 points (goal difference +12)
5. Aston Villa (35 matches) 58 points (goal difference +4)
6. Bournemouth (35 matches) 52 points
7. Brentford (35 matches) 51 points
8. Brighton (35 matches) 50 points
9. Chelsea (35 matches) 48 points
Chelsea, having lost 1-3 at home to Nottingham Forest, are already out of contention for the top 5, while Liverpool, needing 4 more points to guarantee qualification, still face the possibility of falling outside the top five.
However, if Liverpool and Chelsea do not finish in the Premier League top five, they can still qualify for the UEFA Champions League if either of the following two conditions are met.
1. Liverpool or Chelsea finish in 6th place.
2. Aston Villa finish 5th and win the Europa League.
The Europa League winner automatically qualifies for the next season's UEFA Champions League as a special spot, potentially allowing six Premier League teams to qualify, especially since Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest face each other in the semi-finals.
If Aston Villa wins the Europa League and finishes 5th in the Premier League, the EPS spot will shift to the 6th place team. But if they finish in the top 4 and also win the Europa League, Aston Villa will qualify for the UCL via their league position, the EPS spot will go to the 5th place team, and the 6th place team will enter the Europa League.
If Nottingham Forest wins the Europa League, six Premier League teams will qualify for the UEFA Champions League. Since Nottingham Forest is not in contention for a top 5 finish, this scenario would be similar to last season when Tottenham finished 17th but qualified for the UCL by winning the Europa League, joining the top five teams Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle.
