Everton and Liverpool could benefit from SEVEN Premier League clubs qualifying for Champions League
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The race for European football in the Premier League is heating up with Merseyside rivals Everton and Liverpool in the thick of itBoth Liverpool and Everton could be playing Champions League football next season.Liverpool - who face Paris Saint-Germain in the quarter-finals of the competition in a little over a fortnight - currently sit fifth in the Premier League table, just three points ahead of their Merseyside rivals Everton in eighth.With seven rounds of Premier League matches remaining, the race for European football is heating up, and remarkably there could be as many as 11 clubs getting a piece of the pie, with as many as seven competing in the continent’s premier competition in the 2026-27 campaign.That’s right, there will be seven English teams in the Champions League if the following happens...Liverpool win the Champions League while finishing in the top five of the Premier League. As holders, their qualification spot would be given to whoever finishes sixth, providing the Premier League retains five qualifying spots.This scenario also requires Aston Villa to finish sixth in the Premier League and also win the Europa League.
A record four-time winner of the competition as a manager, Villa boss Unai Emery's men are tournament favourites and face Bologna in the quarter-finals.Should that come to fruition, Villa would seal Champions League qualification as Europa League winners, giving the side who finish seventh in the Premier League entry to Europe’s premier club competition.Breaking the record for most teams qualified from one nation, that would go to Brentford as of now.But Everton are right on their tails, trailing the Bees on goal difference by just two goals.The teams meet at the Gtech Community Stadium after the international break on Saturday, April 11 (3pm kick-off) in a crucial clash.If the Blues were to secure Champions League football, it would be for the first time since 2005 - three years into manager David Moyes’ first spell as manager - when they lost to Villarreal in the third qualifying round.It would also be the first time the two Merseyside clubs have competed alongside each other in a European campaign since the 2009/10 Europa League.On top of all that, if the Premier League did have seven clubs competing in the Champions League, there would still be three more European places available - two in the Europa League, and one in the Conference League.This would allow the entire top half of the Premier League a shot at European football. Right now, that would see both Fulham and Brighton & Hove Albion return to the continental stage.But that's not all.
FA Cup holders Crystal Palace are also still in the Conference League. They face Fiorentina in the quarter-finals next month, with a strong chance of going all the way.Provided they did lift the trophy, the Eagles would also secure Europa League football for the 2026/27 campaign.If they did that, and provided they finished outside of the top 10 in the Premier League, there would be 11 English teams competing in Europe - the current top 10 plus Palace.This season, six English clubs featured in the Champions League, with a total of nine in Europe as a whole.With each of UEFA’s three major club competitions expanding to include 36 teams last season, England still remain likely to get five Champions League places via league qualification again, as they continue to lead the way in the co-efficient rankings.