Premier League secures fifth Champions League spot after Arsenal win | OneFootball

The Premier League will have at least five representatives in next season’s Champions League after Arsenal’s 1-0 win over Sporting CP in the first leg of their quarter-final on Tuesday.

The result ensured England would finish among UEFA’s top two leagues in the European Performance Rankings, clinching an extra European spot.

This is the second year running that the Premier League has earned an additional place, with Liverpool, Manchester City, Chelsea, Newcastle and Arsenal already competing this season, while Tottenham secured a sixth spot by winning the Europa League.

UEFA awards these bonus slots to the leagues whose clubs perform best across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, and England has led the standings for much of the campaign.

The new rules mean a fifth-place finish in the Premier League will now guarantee a Champions League spot, which is a huge boost in the tight midtable battle. Liverpool currently sit fifth on 49 points, just a single point ahead of Chelsea, while Brentford and Everton are only three points further back. In fact, just seven points separate fifth from 13th.

There’s also room for even more English sides to join. If Aston Villa, currently fourth, or Nottingham Forest lift the Europa League but finish outside the top five, they would qualify automatically, potentially giving England six clubs in next season’s Champions League.