Champions Succeed in Avoiding UEFA Champions League Mirage

The Premier League is on the brink of securing a fifth Champions League qualification spot for next season, though this week's European results could prove decisive. This coveted additional place stems from Uefa 's European Performance Spot (EPS) system, granting an extra berth to the two nations whose clubs collectively perform best across the Champions League , Europa League , and Conference League . For England, which typically receives four spots, this would elevate the total to five.

Currently, England leads the 2025-26 country coefficient rankings, with Spain second and Germany third. Points are accumulated through wins (two) and draws (one) respectively across all three competitions. Additional points are awarded for progressing through rounds, and bonuses are given for clubs' league phase positions, weighted in favour of Champions League participants.

These points are then divided by the total number of teams each country entered into European club competitions at the start of the season – in England’s case, nine. However, English clubs face a challenging path. None of the six Champions League representatives won their last-16 first-leg ties.

Arsenal getting past Bayer Leverkusen could be crucial for the Premier League’s hopes of getting an extra Champions League spot (AFP/Getty) Only Arsenal , with a draw, and Liverpool , following a narrow defeat at Galatasaray, appear particularly well-placed to progress to the quarter-finals after their away ties, while Manchester City , Chelsea and Tottenham all have three-goal deficits to overcome. In the Europa League, Nottingham Forest trail Danish side Midtjylland after the first leg, though Aston Villa are well placed to progress after winning 1-0 away to Lille. Crystal Palace’s progress in the Conference League is uncertain after they were held to a goalless draw at home by AEK Larnaca.