THE Premier League is set to have NINE teams competing in Europe next season after Spurs and Manchester United set up an all-English Europa League final.
The tally includes a record number of six English teams in the Champions League.
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The previous record was five, set in 2017/8 when Man Utd finished outside the top four but won the Europa League.
Traditionally only the top four go through to the Champions League, with fifth place reserved for a Europa League slot and sixth for the Conference League.
This season the Premier League was awarded a fifth slot for next year’s Champions League after English teams impressed in Europe.
England was a top-two nation in UEFA’s coefficient rankings after Arsenal beat Real Madrid in the first leg of their quarter-final.
This means that Europa and Conference League spots have moved to sixth and seventh, but could be bumped down once more if Manchester City beat Crystal Palace in the FA Cup.
Tottenham and Manchester United sit well outside of the European standings having both suffered disastrous league campaigns.
But their respective Europa semi-final wins, on aggregate 5-1 against Bodo/Glimt and 7-1 against Athletic Bilbao, have meant that one of them will take home the trophy and the Champions League spot that it offers.
Who’s involved?
Nearly half of the Premier League’s teams will play in Europe in the 2025/6 season.
Liverpool have claimed their Champions League spot, with Arsenal looking set to join them – only needing one win in their final three games.
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The final three Champions League spots will be decided in the race for the top five between Newcastle, Manchester City, Chelsea, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa.
Only four points separate the high-flyers with three games left to play.
Bournemouth, Brentford, Brighton and Fulham are in contention for the final European places but will have to compete with the losers of the Champions League race.
The lower placed teams will doubtless feel sore if they miss out on Europe next season as either Spurs in 16th or 15th-placed Man Utd will leapfrog them into the Champions League.
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