Arsenal, Manchester City, and Manchester United are among the 18 teams that have already booked their tickets for the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League. Manchester United became the third English side to guarantee a spot after accumulating enough points to ensure they finish no lower than fifth in the Premier League.
Traditionally, England receives four Champions League berths, but strong performances by English clubs across UEFA competitions this season have earned the nation one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS). This means the top five Premier League teams will qualify for next season’s tournament.
Other clubs already qualified include Inter Milan, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, Paris Saint-Germain, Lens, PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord, Galatasaray, Shakhtar Donetsk, and Porto.
Inter have secured a top-four finish in Serie A, while Barcelona, Real Madrid, Villarreal, and Atletico Madrid have done the same in La Liga. Spain’s La Liga will also receive an EPS, giving them five spots in next season’s Champions League as well.
Bayern Munich, PSV Eindhoven, Porto, and Galatasaray have already won their respective league titles in Germany, the Netherlands, Portugal, and Turkey, guaranteeing their participation. Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are assured of second and third place in the Bundesliga, while PSG and Lens will finish in the top two of Ligue 1.
Shakhtar Donetsk, who won the Ukrainian top flight, were initially set to enter the second qualifying round. However, because this season’s Champions League finalists, Arsenal and Atletico Madrid, have already secured berths in next season’s competition, a titleholder replacement was needed. As the highest-ranked club in UEFA’s coefficient rankings not yet qualified, Shakhtar will take the spot originally reserved for the winner of this season’s Champions League.
A total of 36 teams will compete in the league phase of the Champions League, with 29 spots decided before the end of this season. The remaining seven spots will be determined through qualification rounds early in the 2026-27 campaign.
**How many spots does each nation get?**
Galatasaray clinched the Turkish Super Lig title with a 4-2 win over Antalyaspor.
The first two automatic spots in next season’s Champions League league phase go to the winners of this season’s Champions League and Europa League. Then, UEFA allocates places based on association rankings from the five-year period ending two seasons prior. For the 2026-27 season, those rankings cover 2020-21 through 2024-25.
With England, Italy, Spain, and Germany ranked first to fourth, the top four teams in each of these leagues qualify directly for the league phase. France, ranked fifth, sends its top three Ligue 1 teams into the league phase, with the fourth-place team entering the third qualifying round. The Netherlands, ranked sixth, gets two direct spots for the top two Eredivisie sides, while third place enters the third qualifying round.
Portugal, Belgium, Czech Republic, and Turkey (ranked seventh through tenth) each receive two spots. League winners from all four countries earn a place in the league phase. Runners-up in Portugal, Belgium, and Czech Republic go to the third qualifying round, while Turkey’s second-place team enters the second qualifying round.
Norway, Greece, Austria, and Scotland occupy the 11th through 14th spots in the rankings, each earning one place for their league winners in the third qualifying round.