The draw for the 2026-27 Champions League is still some months away, yet nearly two dozen clubs have already secured their spots in Europe's most prestigious club competition. With the domestic season reaching its decisive final weeks, the picture is becoming clearer by the matchday.
England's five-team windfall
Aston Villa's 4-2 victory over Liverpool at Villa Park on Friday evening confirmed their place in next season's competition, making them the fourth English side to do so. They join Arsenal, Manchester City and Manchester United, all of whom had already guaranteed a top-five Premier League finish.
That figure — five — is one more than England has traditionally been allocated. The additional berth comes via one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS) awarded by Uefa to nations whose clubs have performed strongly in European competition during the current campaign. England have earned one of those spots, meaning whichever Premier League club finishes fifth will still qualify directly to the league phase.
Spain's La Liga has also been granted an EPS, similarly extending its allocation to five teams. Real Betis have taken that extra position, joining Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Villarreal in next season's draw.
How Uefa distributes the places
The allocation framework is worth understanding because it shapes how clubs from across the continent earn their routes in. Uefa uses its association rankings from the five-year period ending two seasons before the relevant campaign — so for 2026-27, the rankings covering 2020-21 to 2024-25 apply.
England, Italy, Spain and Germany rank first to fourth under that system, each receiving four automatic league-phase spots. France, ranked fifth, earns three direct places, with its fourth-placed side entering the third qualifying round. The Netherlands, ranked sixth, qualifies its top two clubs directly, with third place also entering qualifying.
Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic and Turkey — seventh to tenth — are each awarded two spots. League winners from all four enter the league phase directly. Runners-up in Portugal, Belgium and Czech Republic enter qualifying, as do second-placed sides in Turkey via a slightly different route.
The clubs confirmed so far
Across Europe, the following clubs have already sealed their places in the 2026-27 league phase:
- England: Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, Aston Villa
- Italy: Inter Milan, Napoli (Italy still has two places to be decided)
- Germany: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Stuttgart
- Spain: Barcelona, Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis
- France: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, Lille
- Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
- Portugal: Porto
- Czech Republic: Slavia Prague
- Turkey: Galatasaray
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
That brings the confirmed total to 24 clubs.
Shakhtar's unusual route in
Shakhtar Donetsk's inclusion carries a particular quirk. The Ukrainian champions would ordinarily have entered the competition via the second qualifying round as their country's title holders. However, because this season's Champions League finalists — Arsenal and PSG — had already guaranteed next season's league-phase spots, a substitute was needed for the winner's automatic berth. Shakhtar, as the highest-ranked domestic champion from outside Uefa's top ten associations not yet confirmed for the league phase, were awarded that position.
What remains to be decided
Of the 36 teams that will contest the league phase, 29 are expected to be confirmed before domestic seasons conclude. The remaining seven places will emerge through qualifying rounds held in the early weeks of the 2026-27 campaign, split between the champions path — for title winners from smaller associations — and the league path, for clubs from nations with multiple qualifying entries. The market will no doubt begin shaping expectations for those rounds well in advance.
Frequently asked
- How many Premier League clubs qualify for the 2026-27 Champions League?
- Five Premier League clubs will qualify for the 2026-27 Champions League league phase. England earned one of Uefa's Elite Performance Spots due to strong performances in European competition this season, extending the usual allocation of four places to five.
- Which English clubs have already qualified for next season's Champions League?
- Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa have all confirmed their places. A fifth Premier League club will also qualify, with the race for that final spot still ongoing as the season approaches its conclusion.
- How does Uefa decide how many Champions League places each country gets?
- Uefa uses its association rankings based on a rolling five-year period ending two seasons before the relevant competition. The top four ranked nations each receive four direct league-phase spots, with France (fifth) receiving three, and lower-ranked nations receiving fewer or qualifying-round places only.