The Premier League swallows Europe…a historic precedent for the English in the Champions League

The old continent is no longer what it was. For the first time in the history of the Champions League, the English Premier League in the new version of 2026-2027 takes 6 places at once, violating the established rule, which awarded it only 4 places in the previous seasons.

According to the new competition system and the “European Performance” criteria adopted by the European Football Association, England is at the top of the associations with the most points this season thanks to the remarkable results of its clubs in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. This superiority gave the Premier League an automatic fifth place in the Champions League.

The second blow came from Birmingham, where Aston Villa reserved sixth place as Europa League champions for the 2025-2026 season, taking advantage of a rule that gives the Europa League title holder direct qualification to the Champions League regardless of their domestic ranking.

It has become very likely that Liverpool will finish the season in fifth place, behind fourth-placed Aston Villa before the end of the last round of the Premier League, taking advantage of their three-point lead and a better goal difference over Bournemouth ahead of the last round.

On the other hand, Bournemouth and Brighton, who are sixth and seventh respectively, are fighting for the last Premier League places in the Champions League as the former have 56 points and the latter are 3 points behind.

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“Bournemouth” is going to meet “Nottingham Forest” in the last round of the Premier League, who drew 1:1 with “Manchester City” in the last match.

On the other hand, Brighton faces “Manchester United” in the same round, in a difficult and strong confrontation.

The 6 English clubs in the 2026-2027 Champions League are Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Liverpool, Aston Villa (as Europa League champions) and either Bournemouth or Brighton.

Bournemouth’s qualification is the most notable event as they take part in the most prestigious tournament for the first time in their history, taking advantage of the extra place that England took in the continental performance rankings.

With this list, the Premier League has the largest representation in the new Champions League system, a clear indication of the growing technical and competitive gap between the English Premier League and the rest of Europe’s leagues.