The Premier League earned an extra place in the 2025/26 UEFA Champions League based on English clubs’ performances in Europe during the 2024/25 campaign.
But is England on course to have at least five teams in next season’s Champions League too? FootballBlog.co.uk takes a look at the current state of play.
A mixed week for English clubs
It was a mixed week for English clubs in Europe. Chelsea beat Barcelona 3-0 at Stamford Bridge as Estevao outshone Lamine Yamal on Tuesday, before Arsenal boosted their quadruple dreams by beating Bayern Munich 3-1 on Wednesday in a game billed as a battle of the world’s two best teams.
But Liverpool, Manchester City and Tottenham all tasted defeat in the Champions League. Crystal Palace lost in the UEFA Europa Conference League on Thursday too, although there were Europa League wins for both Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
Results for English clubs in UEFA competitions (November 25-27)
| Comp | Date | Result |
|---|---|---|
| UCL | Nov 25 | Chelsea 3-0 Barcelona |
| UCL | Nov 25 | Man City 0-2 Leverkusen |
| UCL | Nov 25 | Marseille 2-1 Newcastle |
| UCL | Nov 26 | Arsenal 3-1 Bayern |
| UCL | Nov 26 | PSG 5-3 Tottenham |
| UEL | Nov 27 | Aston Villa 2-1 Young Boys |
| UEL | Nov 27 | Nottingham Forest 3-0 Malmo |
| UECL | Nov 28 | Strasbourg 2-1 Crystal Palace |
England top alternative Champions League table based on total points and average points
Arsenal top the actual Champions League table with a perfect record after five rounds of fixtures, while Chelsea, Manchester City, Newcastle, Liverpool and Tottenham sit seventh, ninth, 11th, 13th and 16th respectively.
As the only nation to have as many as six teams in this season’s tournament, it is perhaps unsurprising that English teams have the most points combined. England’s six sides have 61 points in total, while Italy are a further 26 points behind in second.
Meanwhile, England also currently boast the highest average points tally of 10.17, with Turkey — represented exclusively by Galatasaray — second with 9.00.
Champions League table based on average points per nation
| Nation | Clubs | Total points | Average points |
|---|---|---|---|
| England | 6 | 61 | 10.17 |
| Turkey | 1 | 9 | 9.00 |
| Italy | 4 | 35 | 8.75 |
| Germany | 4 | 34 | 8.50 |
| France | 3 | 24 | 8.00 |
| Azerbaijan | 1 | 7 | 7.00 |
| Spain | 5 | 33 | 6.60 |
| Portugal | 2 | 13 | 6.50 |
| Cyprus | 1 | 6 | 6.00 |
| Belgium | 2 | 10 | 5.00 |
| Netherlands | 2 | 8 | 4.00 |
| Denmark | 1 | 4 | 4.00 |
| Czech Republic | 1 | 3 | 3.00 |
| Norway | 1 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Greece | 1 | 2 | 2.00 |
| Kazakhstan | 1 | 1 | 1.00 |
How does UEFA decide which country gets an extra Champions League place?
Two additional Champions League places are awarded each season via what UEFA call the European Performance Spots.
These spots go to the two national associations whose clubs collectively perform best across all three UEFA competitions — the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League — during that specific season.
Every win and draw earned by a club in those three competitions is converted into coefficient points. All of those points are then added together for each country and divided by the number of clubs that nation entered into Europe that season. The two countries with the highest averages at the end of the campaign are each granted one extra automatic Champions League place for the following season.
That bonus place is given to the next highest-finishing team in that league which has not already qualified for the Champions League through standard league positions.
Last season, England and Spain finished in the top two of the association rankings, resulting in Newcastle and Villarreal being invited to the party.
What is UEFA’s association club coefficient?
UEFA’s association club coefficient is a season-long measurement of how well each country’s clubs perform in European competition.
Each club earns:
- Two points for a win
- One point for a draw
- Zero points for a defeat
These totals are then boosted by bonus points for reaching later rounds. In the Champions League, for example, clubs earn 1.5 bonus points for reaching each knockout stage (round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final). Europa League clubs receive one bonus point per round, while Conference League clubs receive 0.5.
Once all points are added together, the total is divided by the number of clubs from that country involved in Europe that season. That final figure becomes the country’s association coefficient for the year.
So, for example, if England finished the 2025/26 season with 92.000 total points from nine clubs, their final association score would be 10.222. That average — not the raw total — is what decides the European Performance Spots.
England top UEFA’s association club coefficient again
Although there is a long way to go in the 2025/26 season, the early signs are positive in terms of England’s chances of securing one of the two extra Champions League qualification spots for 2026/27.
Going into the next European week — which begins on December 9 — England currently occupy first place in the 2025/26 UEFA association club coefficient rankings with an average of 10.833 points.
Germany are second right now on 9.857, but Italy are not far behind on 9.571.
Latest UEFA Association Club Coefficient Rankings (2025/26)
| Association | Clubs | Bonus | Pts | Avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| England | 9/9 | 36.000 | 97.500 | 10.833 |
| Germany | 7/7 | 24.000 | 69.000 | 9.857 |
| Italy | 7/7 | 24.000 | 67.000 | 9.571 |
| Portugal | 4/5 | 12.000 | 47.000 | 9.400 |
| Poland | 4/4 | 0.000 | 37.500 | 9.375 |
| Spain | 8/8 | 30.000 | 74.000 | 9.250 |
| Cyprus | 3/4 | 6.000 | 37.000 | 9.250 |
| France | 7/7 | 18.000 | 57.500 | 8.214 |
| Denmark | 2/4 | 6.000 | 32.500 | 8.125 |
| Greece | 4/5 | 6.000 | 35.500 | 7.100 |
| Belgium | 3/5 | 12.000 | 34.500 | 6.900 |
| Czechia | 4/5 | 6.000 | 34.000 | 6.800 |
| Netherlands | 6/6 | 12.000 | 40.500 | 6.750 |
| Turkiye | 3/5 | 6.000 | 33.000 | 6.600 |
| Norway | 2/5 | 6.000 | 26.000 | 5.200 |
| Azerbaijan | 1/4 | 6.000 | 20.500 | 5.125 |
| Romania | 2/4 | 0.000 | 20.000 | 5.000 |
| Sweden | 2/4 | 0.000 | 19.000 | 4.750 |
| Ukraine | 2/4 | 0.000 | 19.000 | 4.750 |
| Hungary | 1/4 | 0.000 | 18.500 | 4.625 |
What must happen for English clubs to maintain their position in the top two?
It would undoubtedly strengthen England’s position if one of their clubs were to go all the way and lift a major European trophy this season. Deep knockout runs generate significant bonus points, which can quickly swing the coefficient race.
However, the most important factor is volume of progression. England entered this season with nine clubs across the three competitions, and that number is fixed for the coefficient calculation. The country’s final score will still be divided by nine at the end of the campaign, even if some teams exit early.
That means it is vital that as many English clubs as possible progress beyond the league phase and into the knockout rounds. Every elimination reduces the pool of potential points, while rival nations continue to accumulate through their remaining teams.
Simply put, perfection may not be necessary for England. Depth of survival across all three competitions could be the key to remaining in the top two and securing an extra Champions League place again.
Could England have SIX teams in the Champions League again next season?
England made Champions League history this season by entering six clubs into the tournament and it is plausible that this could be repeated in 2026/27.
Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City and Chelsea all qualified automatically by finishing in the Premier League’s top four, while fifth-placed Newcastle got in thanks to England securing one of UEFA’s two European Performance Spots.
The sixth place then went to Tottenham, who finished 17th in the Premier League but won the UEFA Europa League.
With Tottenham, Liverpool, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest all well outside the top five in the Premier League table but still in contention in either the Champions League or Europa League, it is not beyond the realms of possibility that England might have six teams in Europe’s top tournament again next season.
In fact, there is a scenario that could see SEVEN English teams qualify for the 2026/27 Champions League. That would require an English club to win the Champions League and either Nottingham Forest or Aston Villa to win the Europa League, with both trophy winners finishing outside the Premier League’s top five.
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