How seven Premier League teams could qualify for the Champions League next season

• The Premier League could have seven teams qualifying for the Champions League next season

• As many as 11 Premier League teams could be in Europe, depending on English teams' success in Europe and their league positions

• Liverpool, one of Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest, and Crystal Palace will all have to taste European glory for it to happen

Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle may have been dumped out in the Champions League last 16 - but the Premier League is still on course for a strong season in Europe as the coefficient race heats up.

Arsenal and Liverpool are still battling to win the Champions League ahead of the quarter-finals, with Aston Villa and Nottingham Forest competing in the Europa League and Crystal Palace the frontrunners for the Conference League.

As a result, English teams are seemingly on the verge of ensuring they finish in the top two for coefficient rankings, meaning fifth place in the Premier League is almost nailed on to secure Champions League qualification for the 2026/27 campaign.

Having five teams in the Champions League may already seem like a lot, but there is also a scenario where seven Premier League teams could reach Europe's elite competition - which could also result in as many as 11 English sides competing in Europe next term.

Here, we explain exactly how all those outcomes could unfold.

Since changing to an expanded 36-team format in 2024, UEFA has awarded two extra Champions League spots to the best-performing leagues in Europe.

England currently sit top of the coefficient rankings - which measure how each league performs - with five teams set to compete across the quarter-finals of the respective competitions. They are ahead of Spain who have six left out of eight, but English sides' stronger performances in the league phase places them above LaLiga.

What this is all means is that, as it stands, the teams who finish fifth in both the Premier League and LaLiga will qualify for the Champions League next season, which right now would go to Liverpool and Real Betis.

Things get more interesting when you factor in the potential winners of the European competitions - and what it will mean if English sides are triumphant.

England will have a sixth Champions League team if:

• England gets the extra fifth spot via the coefficient rankings

• An English team wins the Champions League OR the Europa League but finishes outside the top five.

For example, if Nottingham Forest, currently 16th, win the Europa League - just like Spurs did last season - then they add to the list of English teams who reach the Champions League.

This is also the case if Aston Villa slip out of the top five but win the Europa League, or if Liverpool finish sixth or below but win a seventh Champions League title.

The extreme - but definitely possible - scenario is for the Champions League to have seven English teams in it next season.

For this to happen, all of the following must occur:

• England gets the extra fifth spot via the coefficient rankings

• An English club wins the Champions League but finishes outside the top five (Liverpool)

• Another club wins the Europa League but finishes outside the top five (Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest)

The most likely example of this is if both Liverpool and Forest win the Champions League and Europa League, but finish outside the top five. Liverpool remain in a heated battle for the top five as it stands, while Forest are battling to survive in the top flight - so it's certainly possible.

Yes, you heard that right. The Premier League could have more than half of its league playing in Europe next season.

For this to happen, all of the following must occur:

• England gets the extra fifth spot via the coefficient rankings

• An English club wins the Champions League but finishes outside the top five (Liverpool)

• Another club wins the Europa League but finishes outside the top five (Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest)

• Crystal Palace win the Conference League but finish outside the top 10

The second of England's two Europa League spots will either go to seventh - currently Brentford - or to the FA Cup winner but only if they don't already finish in the Premier League top five - which could be Leeds, West Ham, Southampton or even League One Port Vale.

The Conference League will go to the next non-Champions League or Europa League spot, which is set to be eighth - currently Everton - due to winners Manchester City being almost certain to finish in the top five.

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