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How Bournemouth, Liverpool and Brighton can qualify for Champions League
May 21 2026 10:10 · By Chris Davie · 35 Reads
Bournemouth could be playing in the Champions League next season (EPA)
Bournemouth , Brighton and Liverpool remain in contention to qualify for the Champions League after Aston Villa ’s win in the Europa League final on Wednesday night.
By winning the Europa League , Villa have now secured qualification for next season’s Champions League, however, their result against Manchester City this Sunday will have a major impact on the remaining European places in the Premier League.
England have been given an extra Champions League place for next season due to the strong performances of Premier League clubs in UEFA competitions this term, this is called an Elite Performance Spot (EPS).
However, the EPS is applied after all other forms of qualification, meaning that Villa would need to finish fifth in order for the extra Champions League place to be given to the team who finishes sixth.
Villa currently sit fourth in the Premier League and are three points clear of fifth-placed Liverpool .
Unai Emery’s side will finish fifth in the Premier League if they lose away to Manchester City and Liverpool win at home to Brentford on Sunday to secure fourth place.
If Villa finish fourth by avoiding a defeat to City, either Bournemouth or Liverpool will secure the fifth and final Champions League spot.
The Premier League table ahead of the final day of the season
Liverpool also face an outside chance of finishing sixth and in a Europa League place if they lose to Brentford and Bournemouth beat Nottingham Forest by a margin that sees them leapfrog Arne Slot’s side on goal difference.
As it stands, Bournemouth are in sixth place on 56 points ahead of their match away to Nottingham Forest this weekend.
Brighton are three points behind Bournemouth but have a better goal difference, so if they beat Manchester United at home on Sunday and Bournemouth lose to Forest, Fabian Hurzeler’s side will finish sixth.
If Villa finish fifth and the Premier League gets six Champions League spots, a Europa League place will be lost. That means only seventh place would qualify for the Europa League, while the team who finishes eighth will be in the Conference League next season.
Crystal Palace, who are 15th in the Premier League, would also qualify for next season’s Europa League as Conference League winners if they beat Rayo Vallecano in the final on May 27.