Finish fifth and reach the Champions League? Win a cup and open up another league place? The Premier League's race for Europe can get complicated quickly.

This guide explains the usual routes from the 2026/27 English season to European competitions in 2027/28. The exact finishing positions can change with cup winners, European winners and UEFA's European Performance Spots.

The usual European places

Under the current allocation, the top four Premier League clubs qualify for the Champions League league phase. Fifth normally enters the Europa League league phase, as do the FA Cup winners. The EFL Cup winners normally enter the Conference League play-off round.

That is the starting point, not a promise that only those positions can qualify. The Premier League's qualification guide notes that UEFA can change its access conditions.

Qualification routes: first to fourth normally reach the Champions League, fifth and the FA Cup winner the Europa League, and the EFL Cup winner the Conference League play-offs. Fifth can become a Champions League place and cup results can change allocations.

Can fifth place reach the Champions League?

Yes. UEFA awards two European Performance Spots to the associations whose clubs perform best collectively across that season's three men's European competitions. If England earns one, it normally goes to the highest Premier League finisher immediately outside the existing Champions League places, usually fifth.

The calculation uses the association's total coefficient points divided by the number of its participating clubs. Progress in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League all matters.

England earned a performance spot for 2026/27 because of English clubs' results in 2025/26, as UEFA confirmed. That does not automatically guarantee another spot for 2027/28: the 2026/27 European season determines it.

What happens when cup winners already qualify?

If the FA Cup winners have already secured a Champions League or Europa League place, their Europa League place generally passes to the next highest Premier League finisher who has not qualified for Europe. The FA Cup runners-up do not inherit it simply by reaching the final.

Likewise, if the EFL Cup winners already qualify for Europe through a higher route, their Conference League place generally passes down the league. This is why sixth, seventh or even another position can become important. The answer depends on who wins each cup and where those clubs finish.

What if an English club wins a European trophy?

Champions League and Europa League winners qualify for the following season's Champions League. Conference League winners qualify for the Europa League, unless they have qualified for a higher competition. A winner outside the ordinary league places can create an additional English entrant; a winner already qualified for the Champions League does not simply hand its winner's place to the next English club.

There is a further wrinkle: if England earns the performance spot and the fifth-placed club wins the Champions League or Europa League, that spot can pass to sixth. The allocation and any other unusual combination should be checked against the final UEFA access list.

Follow the race

The Premier League table shows who is in contention; the fixture list shows the games still to come. Once a club gets there, our guides explain the Champions League format, Europa League format and Conference League format.

Rules checked 10 November 2026. Places remain subject to UEFA regulations and eligibility. Cover: Fulham v Nottingham Forest in December 2025, illustrative file photograph by Timmy96 / Wikimedia Commons, CC0; cropped and overlaid.