How could seven English clubs take part in the Champions League next season?

UEFA has opened the door to an exceptional scenario that would allow seven Premier League clubs to compete in next season’s Champions League — a record number never seen before.

At present, four English clubs have been knocked out in the round of 16: Manchester City, Chelsea, Tottenham and Newcastle United, whilst Arsenal and Liverpool have progressed to the quarter-finals, where Arsenal face Sporting Lisbon and Liverpool take on Paris Saint-Germain.

Despite the elimination of some teams, the English Premier League remains the strongest contender for an additional spot via the European performance coefficient system, thanks to England topping the European club coefficient rankings with 115.630 points, ahead of Italy in second place, bolstered by the results of other teams such as Aston Villa, Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in the Europa League and Conference League, according to the newspaper ‘Gazzetta’.

A scenario involving seven clubs in the Champions League?

The newspaper reported that the exceptional scenario of seven Premier League clubs participating in the Champions League next season depends on the results of the European competitions.

If Aston Villa win the Europa League, they will secure a direct place in the Champions League, and if Liverpool win the Champions League, they will also qualify automatically.

Should both teams finish fifth and sixth in the Premier League, the additional spot via European performance would be awarded to the team in seventh place, bringing the number of participating English teams to seven — a scenario confirmed by UEFA, which opens the door to major changes in the qualification race.

Brentford currently sit in seventh place, making them the prime candidates to benefit from this situation, particularly following a strong season after the departure of their former manager Thomas Frank.

If this scenario plays out, it will affect the allocation of the remaining European places, with Europa League spots potentially being moved to eighth place or awarded to the FA Cup winners, whilst the Europa Conference League spot could be scrapped.

Crystal Palace still have a chance of winning the Conference League title, which would allow them to compete in the Europa League next season.

The competition remains fierce among a number of Premier League clubs, including Everton, Fulham, Brighton, Bournemouth, Sunderland and Newcastle United, in a race that could see unprecedented changes to the allocation of European places next season.

Featured image via UEFA