There were some final-day twists in the Race for Europe as teams vied to qualify for UEFA club competitions next season. Here is a breakdown as to which teams will be in Europe next season.
UEFA Champions League
Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool will all play in the UEFA Champions League – Europe’s elite club competition – next season.
Arne Slot’s Liverpool booked their place on the last day of the season following a 1-1 draw with Brentford which saw them finish fifth in the Premier League table.
Usually, only the teams who finish from first to fourth qualify for the Champions League.
But the Premier League earned a fifth spot — as it did last year – because England claimed one of two European Performance Spots (EPS) available through UEFA’s coefficient table, which measures how clubs from each country perform across European competitions.
Villa finished above Liverpool in fourth to return to the Champions League after missing out on qualification last season. They reached the quarter-finals on their previous appearance in 2024/25.
Even if Unai Emery’s side had not finished in the top five, they would have entered the Champions League because they won the UEFA Europa League.
Meanwhile, Arsenal qualified for their fourth successive Champions League campaign by winning the Premier League.
They could yet go into the competition as the defending champions, as they play in the Champions League final against Paris Saint-Germain on Saturday, 30 May.
Man City will play in the Champions League for the 16th straight season after finishing Premier League runners-up to Arsenal.
Man Utd are back in the Champions League for the first time since 2023/24 following their third-place finish.
UEFA Europa League
AFC Bournemouth and Sunderland have qualified for the UEFA Europa League, Europe’s second-tier club competition.
Bournemouth finished sixth in the Premier League table and will play in Europe for the first time in their history in 2026/27.
Promoted Sunderland, meanwhile, beat Chelsea on the final day to climb from 10th to seventh and qualify for one of Europe’s main competitions for just the second time in their history.
The Black Cats' only other appearance came in the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1973/74.
If Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in the UEFA Conference League final on Wednesday evening, they will enter the Europa League league phase as an additional club.
UEFA Conference League
Brighton & Hove Albion will play in the Conference League next season.
The Seagulls finished eighth in the table – above Brentford on goal difference – to qualify for Europe for only the second time in their history.
Brighton reached the Europa League round of 16 on their previous continental appearance in 2023/24.