How Premier League teams qualify for 2027/28 Champions League and Europa competitions | OneFootball

Nine Premier League teams have qualified for Europe in 2026/27. Could that happen again next season?

We take a look at the qualification criteria for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League from the Premier League.

How many teams qualify for the Champions League from the Premier League?

For 2026/27, five Premier League teams qualified for the Champions League via their league position: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool.

Under the Champions League’s new-ish Swiss model system, there are 36 teams instead of 32 teams competing and two of those extra four teams come from the countries with the strongest records in that season’s European competitions.

In pretty much every season over the last decade, that would have meant an extra place allocated from England, and that was the case with the performances of English clubs in 2025/26.

How do Premier League teams qualify for the Europa League?

England gets two Europa League places. One belongs to the highest-placed finisher not in the Champions League and the other goes to the winner of the FA Cup, unless the winner of the FA Cup qualifies by other means.

Manchester City beat Chelsea in the FA Cup final to take that Europa League place for this season, but their league position meant they didn’t need it. So the Premier League got both Europa League places, taken by Bournemouth and Sunderland.

How do Premier League teams qualify for the Conference League?

As well as all the fizzy pop they can drink, the Carabao Cup winners also receive a place in the play-off stages for the Europa Conference League.

But Manchester City did not need that place after their Wembley win in 2026 so it reverted to the highest league finishers who have not qualified for any other European competition. In this case, Brighton.

Do the Europa League winners qualify for the Champions League?

Yes. And the important thing to remember here is that when a team wins either of the two main European competitions that come with the reward of a Champions League spot and finish outside the qualifying spots through their domestic league, it counts as an extra place.

Had Europa League winners Aston Villa finished outside the top four last season, that extra place would have gone to lowly Bournemouth.

Which competition do the Conference League winners qualify for?

The Europa League, which is why Crystal Palace are the third English club in this year’s competition, and the third English club to win the Conference League in five years. Over to you, Brighton.

What’s the highest number of Premier League clubs who can qualify for Europe?

ELEVEN. If the Premier League is once again allocated five places in the Champions League and the winners of the Champions League and Europa League are Premier League clubs – but do not qualify through their league position – then there could be seven clubs in the Champions League. Add three Europa League places (if Brighton win the Conference League) and a Conference League place to make 11.