How 11 Premier League clubs could qualify for European football this season

As the Premier League race for Europe heats up, Ladbrokes looks at the teams with real hope of qualifying for next season's UEFA competitions.

The season started with the standard number of seven European spots up for grabs, but the excellent performances from English sides have earned an additional spot for the league, with the top eight positions now guaranteeing European football next season.

There are still plenty of teams with their eyes on the European prize this season, with all Champions League, Europa League and Conference League positions still to be secured.

Below, Ladbrokes takes you through each of the three competitions, outlining the challenging teams' chances of playing in Europe next season - with one specific scenario even shifting the Premier League's Conference League spot down to 11th.

While finishing in the top four of the Premier League is usually required to qualify for the Champions League, this season has seen an additional spot be given to the Premier League, meaning five English teams will be competing in Europe's top competition in the 2025/26 season.

Liverpool, who are clear favourites to win the Premier League this year, are in the strongest position to qualify, along with Arsenal - who are currently odds-on to finish in the top four.

After an excellent run of form, Newcastle are also tipped by the bookies to hold on and finish fourth or higher, alongside champions Manchester City, who are looking to qualify for their 14th consecutive season of Champions League football.

Nottingham Forest, this season's surprise package, and Chelsea both sit among the favourites to finish inside the top six, with the former hoping to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in over 40 years.

This season's Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa are also beginning to find some real form as they strive to maintain their place among Europe's elite, while Fulham, Bournemouth and Brighton have also been given a slim chance of securing Champions League football by the bookies.

The two sides that finish just below the Champions League spots will qualify for the Europa League, UEFA's second-tier competition, which was most recently won by Italian side Atalanta.

Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United have both reached the semi-finals of the competition this season, which could make this year a successful one - despite both Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim being among the favourites to be the next Premier League manager to lose their job.

Brentford will be keen to take advantage of the extra qualifying spot and play in Europe for the first time ever, while the likes of Brighton, Aston Villa and Bournemouth will likely see the top six as an acceptable cushion should they fail to earn Champions League football.

A number of the teams in the hunt for the top six are also among the front-runners to win this year's FA Cup, which brings another element to the European conversation. Whoever wins the trophy will qualify for the Europa League automatically, regardless of their league position, so one team's ticket to Europe may yet come through England's oldest cup competition.

The final chance for teams to claim European football comes in the form of the Conference League, which Chelsea are currently heavy favourites to win this year.

With the Premier League securing the aforementioned additional qualifying spot, the Conference League place will go to the club who finishes eighth, offering a chance at European football to teams like Crystal Palace, who would otherwise struggle to get the opportunity.

Newcastle's Carabao Cup victory on Sunday 16 March actually means they have already officially qualified for the playoff round of next season's Conference League, but should they finish in the Premier League top six, that place will be passed on to the next-highest team who haven't qualified for European competition.

One very specific set of events will lead to the Premier League's Conference League place heading into the bottom half of the table, meaning more than half of the league would be plying their trade in Europe next season. For that to happen, the following points all have to take place:

• Liverpool, Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest, Manchester City and Newcastle finish in the top five of the Premier League
• Arsenal win the Champions League and finish between sixth and 10th in the Premier League
• Man United or Tottenham win the Europa League and finish between sixth and 10th
• Chelsea win the Conference League and finish between sixth and 10th
• Another team wins the FA Cup and finishes between sixth and 10th
• Another team finishes between sixth and 10th

This would provide the Premier League with seven Champions League spots, three Europa League spots, and a single Conference League place - an unlikely scenario that we have never seen before.

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