Which Premier League teams will qualify for next season’s Champions League?

With four Premier League games remaining and five points separating third from seventh position, the race for Champions League football has rarely been quite this tight. 

Unlike previous years, the Premier League will send five teams to Europe’s leading football tournament next season - all thanks to favourable coefficient scores across UEFA’s trio of club competitions. 

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Given the competitive nature of this run-in - and with the title already in Liverpool’s hands - there is no better time to evaluate which teams are most likely to secure a Champions League spot for 2025/26.

Arsenal gunning for second

Mikel Arteta’s men are league runners-up as gameweek 35 approaches - but there is no room for complacency. 

The Gunners sit seven points clear of sixth spot ahead of a crucial home fixture against 10th-placed Bournemouth and any slip-up could spell danger.

A Champions League second-leg visit to PSG awaits next week - so Arsenal may look to rest certain individuals as they plot to overturn their one-goal deficit. 

They remain significant favourites to fight for ‘big ears’ again in 2025/26, with Sky Bet (1/250) and QuinnBet (1/100) offering the most lucrative odds. 

Newcastle on form 

Despite a disappointing 4-1 defeat to Aston Villa in mid-April, Newcastle - on 62 points - sit in third place on the Premier League standings. 

Demanding fixtures lay ahead, however, as a journey to Brighton this weekend is followed by a midday battle at home to Chelsea and a mid-May trip to the Emirates Stadium.

Coral, BetMGM and bet365 each have Newcastle to qualify for the Champions League at 4/6. 

Manchester City to silence doubters

The Etihad Stadium has become accustomed to success since Pep Guardiola’s 2016 arrival. 

This campaign has proven difficult for City, though - as early-season struggles and Champions League failures have left last year’s champions fighting for their usually-cushy European position.

Fourth in the table, one point clear of Nottingham Forest and with a ‘soft’ run-in against Wolves, Southampton, Bournemouth and Fulham - it’s no wonder most bookmakers have City as third favourites. 

Unibet and bet365 each price City at 1/5 to enter the Champions League next year, while William Hill offer odds at 1/4.

Chelsea quietly in the mix

Enzo Maresca’s outfit looked like Liverpool’s primary title challengers at the start of the season, but late-2024 and early-2025 drop-offs have seen the Blues stoop to fifth after 34 games. 

Now level on points with Nottingham Forest, Todd Boehly will hope that his billion-pound-squad can guarantee a hefty windfall by finishing in the Premier League’s top five. 

It could come down to the wire - as Chelsea face Forest on the final day. 

Today, Betway, BetMGM and Unibet place Chelsea as fourth-in-line at 6/4 to clinch Champions League qualification.

Nottingham Forest clutching at straws

Three league defeats in four outings have seen Forest’s Champions League aspirations rapidly diminish. 

The current state of affairs contrasts their fans’ jubilation during the first half of the season - as Nuno Espirito Santo took the City Ground faithful to heights they had not seen since the Brian Clough era. 

They’re now sixth, three points clear of Villa and decidedly out-of-form. 

At 3/1 with bet365, Ladbrokes and Betfair, they sit well ahead of their most likely challenger…

Aston Villa prepared to pounce?

Prior to a gut-wrenching last-minute defeat to Manchester City on 22 April, Aston Villa appeared ready to fend off all who stood in their line of sight. 

An FA Cup semi-final collapse against 12th-place Crystal Palace cemented another trophyless campaign for Unai Emery’s side but a three-point gap behind Chelsea and Nottingham Forest is not insurmountable. 

Fulham, Bournemouth, Spurs and Manchester United will each play a role in deciding Villa’s European fate. But, crucially, other results must go their way between now and the season’s end.

The claret and blue are priced at 18/1 with Paddy Power and Betfair.