Manchester United have become the 12th club to secure their spot in next season’s Champions League. The Red Devils are the third English side—following Arsenal and Manchester City—to gather enough points to finish no lower than fifth in the Premier League.
Traditionally, England receives four Champions League places, but this season’s performances in UEFA club competitions have earned the nation one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS), allowing the top five teams to qualify. So far, the qualified clubs include Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Paris Saint-Germain, PSV Eindhoven, and Porto.
Inter have secured a top-four finish in Serie A, while Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Villarreal have done the same in La Liga. Bayern, PSV, and Porto have already clinched league titles in Germany, the Netherlands, and Portugal, respectively, guaranteeing their places. Borussia Dortmund have locked in at least second or third in the Bundesliga, and reigning Ligue 1 champions PSG will finish no lower than second in their division.
A total of 36 teams will compete in the Champions League league phase, with 29 of them determined before the end of this season. The remaining seven spots come from qualification rounds held early in the 2026-27 campaign.
How Many Spots Are Awarded to Each Nation?
The first two places in the Champions League league phase go to the winners of this season’s Champions League and Europa League. UEFA then uses association rankings from the five-year period ending two seasons prior to determine each nation’s allocation. For 2026-27, the rankings from 2020-21 to 2024-25 apply.
England, Italy, Spain, and Germany (ranked first to fourth) each see their top four league teams qualify directly. France (ranked fifth) gets three direct spots, with fourth place entering the third qualifying round. The Netherlands (sixth) awards its top two Eredivisie sides direct entry, while third place enters the third qualifying round.
Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Turkey (ranked seventh to tenth) each receive two places: their league winners go directly into the league phase, while the runners-up from Portugal, Belgium, and Czech Republic enter the third qualifying round. Turkey’s second-place team enters the second qualifying round.
Norway, Greece, Austria, and Scotland (ranked 11th to 14th) see their league winners enter the play-off qualifying round (the fourth and final qualifying round), and each also gets a second spot in the second qualifying round. Poland (15th) sees its top two clubs begin in the second qualifying round. All other nations receive only one team each, entering in either the first or second qualifying round.
Seven spots are available via qualification, split between the ‘champions path’ (league winners from nations outside the top 10) competing for five spots, and the ‘league path’ (clubs from nations with multiple qualifying spots who didn’t win their league) competing for two spots.
The remaining EPS spot is yet to be decided, but only Germany, Spain, and Portugal can mathematically qualify for it.