EXPLAINER: How Aston Villa’s Europa win could give EPL six Champions League spots

The English Premier League is on the cusp of a historic achievement, potentially securing an unprecedented six spots in next season's UEFA Champions League. This remarkable possibility stems from England's dominant performance in European club competitions, earning them a coveted "European Performance Spot." This prestigious award guarantees the top five teams in the league automatic qualification for Europe's elite club tournament.

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England have now confirmed their place in the top two of the 2025/26 association club coefficients and have earned one of the European Performance Spots.

However, the narrative doesn't end there. A unique set of circumstances, primarily involving Aston Villa's potential triumph in the UEFA Europa League, could further expand England's Champions League contingent. Should Villa lift the Europa League trophy while also securing a fifth-place finish in the Premier League—a position already qualifying for the Champions League thanks to the EPS—their league-based spot would become redundant. This unused slot would then cascade down the league table, offering a golden ticket to the sixth-placed team.

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What are the European Performance Spots? “England have now confirmed their place in the top two of the 2025/26 association club coefficients and have earned one of the European Performance Spots. “Spain, Germany and Portugal have the next highest coefficients and one of them will take the second European Performance Spot.

While this prospect is undoubtedly exciting for English football fans, it comes with a caveat. England would effectively trade one of its Europa League places, allocated by league position, for an additional Champions League spot. This means that while more English clubs might compete at the highest level, the Europa League would see a reduced English presence. The implications of this potential shift are significant, impacting European qualification pathways and the competitive landscape for clubs across the continent. The upcoming matches will be crucial in determining whether this extraordinary scenario unfolds.

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As has happened in the previous two years under the new format of the European club competitions, the 2026/27 European Performance Spots will go to the two associations with the best collective performance by their clubs in the 2025/26 UEFA men’s club competitions (i.e. the best association club coefficient of the previous season, based on the total number of club coefficient points obtained by each club from an association, divided by the number of clubs from that association, in accordance with Annex D of the competition regulations).