European football bonanza: Premier League sends record six teams to Champions League…Newcastle sneak into UCL after Villa’s collapse; Tottenham qualify despite 17th-place finish
The 2024/25 Premier League season concluded with a dramatic shake-up in European qualification, confirming six English clubs for next season’s UEFA Champions League. Liverpool, Arsenal, Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle United secured their places via league position, while Tottenham Hotspur remarkably qualified by winning the Europa League – despite finishing 17th domestically.
The final-day drama saw Manchester City and Chelsea clinch third and fourth place with victories, while Newcastle capitalized on Aston Villa’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United to snatch the fifth and final league-based UCL spot. Despite losing to Everton, the Magpies edged out Villa on goal difference.
Tottenham’s Europa League triumph – their first major European trophy in decades – triggered an unprecedented scenario, granting England a sixth Champions League berth under UEFA’s qualification rules.
Meanwhile, Aston Villa and Crystal Palace will compete in the Europa League, with Villa qualifying via league position and Palace earning entry as FA Cup winners. Nottingham Forest rounded out the European contingent, securing a place in the Europa Conference League.