Arsenal’s win at Sporting a boost for English clubs in Champions League race
By Joel Masibo, April 8, 2026According to an official update, the Premier League is guaranteed a minimum of five representatives in next season’s UEFA Champions League. This follows the league earning an extra slot through UEFA’s “European Performance Spot” (EPS) system for the second year running.
The additional berth was confirmed on Tuesday night, April 7, 2026, after Arsenal secured a narrow 1-0 victory over Sporting CP in the first leg of their quarter-final clash in Lisbon, Portugal.
This development offers encouragement to Manchester United, as Michael Carrick and his squad continue their push to qualify for Europe’s top competition. The team currently sits third in the league standings with seven matches remaining, and they aim to climb as high as possible before the season concludes.
How the system operates
UEFA grants two extra Champions League places to the leagues that perform best collectively across its three club tournaments: the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League.
England has led the EPS rankings for most of the campaign, helped by all nine of its participating clubs reaching the round of 16 across the three competitions. Although only five teams progressed to the quarter-finals, strong results earlier in the tournaments ensured the Premier League maintained a commanding lead.
As things stand, Spain is in line to claim the second bonus spot, with Germany and Portugal trailing closely behind—though upcoming fixtures could still alter the standings.
Coefficient standings (as of April 7)
England – 25.013
Spain – 20.281
Germany – 19.714
Portugal – 18.900
Italy – 18.714
Possibility of more English teams
There remains a chance that even more Premier League clubs could qualify for the Champions League next season. If either Aston Villa or Liverpool ends the domestic campaign in fifth place and also wins a European trophy, then the sixth-placed team would qualify via the EPS allocation. Should both clubs achieve this feat while finishing fifth and sixth, the team in seventh position would also gain entry into the competition.
Currently, Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea and Aston Villa are firmly in the race for Champions League football next season, alongside Arsenal and Manchester City, who seem to be edging closer to booking an automatic qualification.