Premier League sixth Champions League place confirmed as Newcastle United & Aston Villa watch on

Newcastle sit fourth in the Premier League table with three games remaining and host fifth-placed Chelsea at St James’ Park on Sunday (12pm kick-off).

The Magpies are level on points and goal difference with The Blues as only a superior goals scored statistic has them ranked higher in the table.

Nottingham Forest are two points behind in sixth, and Aston Villa are three points behind in seventh. A win for Newcastle on Sunday would be a major boost to their Champions League hopes, while a defeat risks them dropping out of the Champions League places.

A draw against Chelsea would see Newcastle remain fourth in the table heading into the final two matches against Arsenal and Everton.

Fifth place guaranteed Champions League football

Fifth place in the Premier League has historically been reserved for Europa League qualification, but a UEFA rule change introduced last season will see fifth place in the Premier League this season qualify for next season’s Champions League.

The two nations with the highest UEFA coefficients for the 2024-25 campaign will each be handed an extra qualification spot. The performance of English clubs in Europe this season has guaranteed England a top-two UEFA coefficient for the 2024-25 campaign and an extra Champions League place as a ‘European Performance Spot’ (EPS).

While that is a boost to clubs like Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa and Forest who are chasing Champions League football in the Premier League. The performance of English clubs in Europe will also see a sixth spot in the Champions League.

Sixth Premier League spot in 2025-26 Champions League confirmed

It’s been a season to forget domestically for Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur as they sit 15th and 16th in the Premier League respectively. The clubs haven’t had any hope of qualifying for Europe via their league position for a while yet one of them will be playing in next season’s Champions League.

Both sides confirmed their place in the Europa League final on Thursday night. Spurs beat Bodo/Glimt 5-1 on aggregate in the semi-final while Manchester United beat Athletic Bilbao 7-1 on aggregate.

An all-English Europa League final will take place in Bilbao on Wednesday, May 21 before the Premier League season draws to a close on May 25.

So it is possible that either Manchester United or Spurs, who sit 24 and 25 points outside of the Champions League places in the Premier League, could guarantee Champions League qualification before the likes of Newcastle, Chelsea, Villa and Forest.

The winner of the Europa League is guaranteed a spot in the Champions League group stage. It will be the first time six English clubs are competing in Europe’s elite club competition in the same season.

One of Man United or Spurs, who have had their worst-ever Premier League seasons, could still end the campaign with Champions League qualification and a trophy. Newcastle have one of those already, but are still looking to secure the other.

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