On the final matchday of the Premier League, several European cup spots are still up for grabs, in addition to one relegation spot. Aston Villa’s Europa League triumph changes the picture. An overview.
On Sunday at 5 p.m., the Premier League will play the final ten of its 380 regular-season matches—and a few questions remain unanswered ahead of Matchday 38.
Who will qualify for the Champions League?
With newly crowned champions Arsenal, runners-up Manchester City, third-place Manchester United, and Europa League winners Aston Villa, four English Champions League participants for the new season have already been determined. At least one spot remains up for grabs: If Villa finishes fourth, the fifth-place team qualifies for the Champions League. However, if Villa itself takes that spot in the final standings, another spot goes to the sixth-place team.
The situation heading into the final matchday: Liverpool FC, currently in fifth place, needs at least one point in their home game against Brentford FC to secure a spot in the Champions League regardless of other results. If the Reds win and Villa loses to Man City at the same time, the two clubs would swap places, paving the way for the sixth-place team to enter the Champions League.
That spot is currently held by AFC Bournemouth, Marco Rose’s future club, which—ahead of its away match at Nottingham Forest—holds a three-point lead over seventh-place Brighton, managed by Fabian Hürzeler, though it has a worse goal difference. Brighton, which hosts Manchester United, therefore still has a chance at the Champions League.
Who qualifies for the Europa League and Conference League?
If Villa remains fourth, the sixth- and seventh-place teams will qualify for the Europa League. If Villa drops to fifth, the sixth-place team will play in the Champions League and the seventh-place team in the Europa League. The second Europa League spot would then be lost. In any case, the eighth-place team will qualify for the Conference League. Mathematically speaking, Chelsea (8th, 52 points), Brentford (9th, 52), and promoted AFC Sunderland (10th, 51) can still hope for this, although Sunderland and Chelsea face each other directly. At the same time, the trio also has its sights set on seventh-place Brighton and thus the Europa League.
With Crystal Palace, the 15th-place team also has its sights set on the Europa League, though independently of the league standings. Coach Oliver Glasner’s team will face Rayo Vallecano in the Conference League final in Leipzig on Wednesday. A win would mean Palace—which UEFA had relegated to the Conference League last summer—would actually qualify for the Europa League this time around.
Who will be relegated?
A major English club will follow Wolverhampton Wanderers and Burnley into the second tier on Sunday: West Ham United or Tottenham Hotspur. With a two-point lead and a significantly better goal difference, Spurs need just one point at home against Everton to secure their survival. West Ham must beat Leeds United and hope for a loss by their London rivals.
Who will be the top scorer?
Erling Haaland won’t let anyone take the top scorer crown from him. The Man City striker, who already triumphed in 2023 and 2024, leads the standings with a five-goal lead over Igor Thiago of Brentford FC.
