Permutations in Europe: What's still at stake in final weeks of season?
There's still plenty to play for across Europe as we head into the final matches of the club season. Here are all the title races, Champions League fights, and relegation battles left to be decided in the top leagues this month. This story will be updated until the end of the campaign.
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EPL | LA LIGA | SERIE A | BUNDESLIGA | LIGUE 1 | GOLDEN SHOE
Premier League 🏴
Title race
Manchester City cut the gap to two points with a comfortable victory over Crystal Palace earlier this week, but Arsenal still control their own destiny. If the Gunners win their final two matches - at home against Burnley and away to Palace on the final day of the campaign - they'll be champions no matter what Pep Guardiola's men do the rest of the way.
The Gunners are desperately trying to claim their first Premier League title since the vaunted 2004 "Invincibles" team.
If Arsenal beat Burnley on May 18, they can be crowned champions as early as the following day if Man City don't beat Bournemouth. Otherwise, the race will go to the final day of the season (May 24).
The Premier League's first tiebreaker, if necessary, is goal difference. If the teams are level on that metric, the next tiebreaker is total goals scored during the season, where Manchester City have a seven-goal edge over Arsenal.
European qualification
The Premier League earned an extra Champions League berth for 2026-27 due to the UEFA club coefficient rankings, so the top five finishers will compete in the competition next season. Manchester United have already secured their Champions League return under Michael Carrick, while Aston Villa clinched their spot with a win over Liverpool on Friday.
Manchester City's victory over Chelsea in the FA Cup final, plus their league position, means the Europa League berth reserved for the FA Cup winners is being transferred to another club.
The teams that finish sixth and seventh will now head to the Europa League thanks to City's 1-0 win at Wembley Stadium, while the side that finishes eighth will get a Conference League berth.
However, if Aston Villa finish exactly fifth in the Premier League and win the Europa League - they play Freiburg in the final of that competition on May 20 - then whoever finishes sixth in the table will also qualify for next season's Champions League.
Crystal Palace could also earn a Europa League spot next season if they win this year's Conference League. The Eagles play Rayo Vallecano in the final of that competition May 27.
There will be at least eight Premier League teams participating in European competitions next season, and a maximum of nine. England's European allotment can still go in several different directions, with the specific breakdown between the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League dependent on the outcomes of the aforementioned finals.
Relegation and promotion
Wolves and Burnley have been relegated for weeks after dismal campaigns. The battle to avoid the final relegation place has, incredibly, come down to a straight fight between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United.
Given their strong advantage on goal difference, Tottenham should need just one point from their two remaining fixtures to avoid relegation. However, a victory at Chelsea on Tuesday would mathematically secure survival and exorcise some demons from when Spurs' Premier League title bid collapsed in a chaotic affair at Stamford Bridge in 2016. West Ham host Leeds and Spurs entertain Everton next Sunday.
Coventry and Ipswich Town earned automatic promotion to the Premier League after excellent years in the Championship. They'll be joined by one of Hull City or Southampton, who'll lock horns in the promotion playoff final at Wembley - the proverbial "richest game in football" - on May 23.
La Liga 🇪🇸
Title winners
Barcelona clinched their second consecutive La Liga title, and 29th overall, with a satisfying 2-0 victory over eternal rivals Real Madrid.
European qualification
La Liga joined the Premier League in earning the other additional Champions League berth for next season via the coefficient rankings, so five Spanish teams will feature in the competition. Real Madrid, Villarreal, Atletico Madrid, and Real Betis have already secured top-five finishes, with the latter returning to the competition after a 21-year absence.
Meanwhile, Real Sociedad sealed a Europa League place by winning the Copa del Rey.
The Europa League and Conference League berths via league position (sixth and seventh in the table, respectively) are yet to be rubber-stamped, but Celta Vigo are assured of at least a Conference League place. The battle to join them in Europe, though, is well and truly on.
Rayo can earn a Europa League spot regardless of their league position if they beat Crystal Palace in the Conference League final this month.
Relegation and promotion
Spain's relegation scrap is an absolute dogfight. Real Oviedo have already been relegated, but the battle royale to avoid joining them stretches as far as Levante in 15th place. The final-day clash between Girona and Elche is a must watch.
Spain's second division is similar to the English Championship: the top two finishers jump directly to the top tier, while teams finishing third through sixth enter a promotion playoff.
Racing Santander, one of the founders of the Spanish league, has already sealed its return to the top flight after a 14-year absence.
Serie A 🇮🇹
Title winners
Inter Milan captured their third Scudetto in six seasons, recovering from last year's traumatic finish to the campaign to lift their 21st Serie A title. The Nerazzurri also win the Coppa Italia to complete a dominant domestic double.
European qualification
A season-long seesaw battle that's ebbed and flowed all year finally delivered some clarity Sunday. Napoli clinched their Champions League spot with a win over lowly Pisa after some recent stumbles had dragged them back into the top-four race.
Juventus went into the penultimate round of the campaign sitting in third, but their Champions League hopes were all but crushed with a dismal home loss to Fiorentina.
AC Milan and Roma both took full advantage, winning their concurrent games to leapfrog the Bianconeri; Roma claimed a 2-0 victory over bitter city rivals Lazio in a typically fiery derby, and are now on the cusp of their first Champions League appearance since 2019.
Cesc Fabregas' Como also won, leaving Juventus in need of a minor miracle on the final day of the season to reach the Champions League. Barring a huge twist, they'll head to the Europa League next season.
Seventh place in the table will yield a Conference League spot.
Remaining matches:
- AC Milan: Cagliari (H)
- Roma: Verona (A)
- Como: Cremonese (A)
- Juventus: Torino (A)
Serie A's first tiebreaker is head-to-head record.
Relegation and promotion
Pisa and Verona are going down to Serie B next season.
Incredibly, Cagliari, Lecce, and Cremonese all won on the penultimate Sunday of the season. Cagliari ensured their safety with their victory, but Lecce and Cremonese's fate will be determined on the final day. Cremonese simply need a better result than Lecce next weekend: they have the head-to-head advantage over Lecce, so even a draw with Como will be enough if Lecce lose to Genoa.
Venezia (and their gorgeous kits) are jumping back up to Serie A next season after finishing atop the second division. They'll be joined by fellow returnees Frosinone. The final promotion spot from Serie B gets decided by a playoff involving the teams that finished third through eighth. Monza and Palermo are among the familiar faces who are in the playoff mix.
Bundesliga 🇩🇪
Title winners
Bayern Munich now have 35 Bundesliga titles in their history after retaining their crown in dominant fashion this season; they scored 122 league goals this season, smashing the previous record of 101.
No other German club has even cracked double figures in league titles.
European qualification
The Bundesliga gets four Champions League berths.
Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig had already secured their spots alongside Bayern Munich prior to Saturday's conclusion to the campaign.
Stuttgart, Hoffenheim, and Bayer Leverkusen were all fighting for the coveted last spot on the final day of the season. Despite conceding a stoppage-time equalizer versus Eintracht Frankfurt, a 2-2 draw was enough for Stuttgart to finish fourth because Hoffenheim got hammered 4-0 by Monchengladbach.
Hoffenheim and Leverkusen are going to the Europa League.
Freiburg are slated to take part in the Conference League playoffs after finishing seventh, but that'll change if they beat Aston Villa in the Europa League final on May 20. In that case, they'd go to the Champions League.
Relegation and promotion
In the 18-team Bundesliga, the bottom two sides are automatically sent down to Bundesliga 2, while the top pair from the second division replace them.
St. Pauli and Heidenheim were relegated on the final day of the Bundesliga season.
Seven-time German champions Schalke are returning to the Bundesliga, bringing one of the country's most storied clubs back to the top flight. Elversberg, an outfit that represents a community of just 12,800 people, earned their first-ever promotion to the Bundesliga despite only playing in the fourth tier in 2021.
The squad that finishes 16th in the Bundesliga enters a two-legged playoff against the third-place side from Bundesliga 2. Wolfsburg, winners of the 2009 Bundesliga title, are pitted against Paderborn in that high-stakes battle.
Ligue 1 🇫🇷
Title winners
Paris Saint-Germain clinched their fifth consecutive Ligue 1 title, and 12th in the last 14 seasons, by beating nearest challengers Lens on May 13.
European qualification
PSG, Lens, and Lille secured Ligue 1's three automatic Champions League berths. Lyon, who finished fourth, will enter the Champions League qualification rounds.
Rennes' 3-1 loss at Marseille on the final day of the season was damaging for the visitors as it meant the teams swapped places. As a result, Marseille are headed to the Europa League and Rennes will compete in the Conference League.
Relegation and promotion
Ligue 1 uses the same relegation and promotion system as the Bundesliga. Metz and Nantes were relegated before the final day, leaving three clubs trying to avoid finishing 16th and heading into the playoff. Le Havre and Auxerre both recorded away wins, meaning Nice's result against Metz was irrelevant. Nevertheless, Nice still contrived to draw 0-0 at home to the cellar-dwellers.
Troyes won the second division to earn automatic promotion. Le Mans' last match of the season was abandoned due to crowd trouble while they were winning and on course to finish second. That result was later validated by the French league (LFP), so they'll join Troyes in Ligue 1 next season. Saint-Etienne finished third and will compete in the playoff with Nice.
European Golden Shoe 🏅
The European Golden Shoe is awarded to the highest scorer across the top tiers of Europe's various domestic leagues.
Only goals in league matches count toward a player's total, and a coefficient points system is used to weigh the strength of different leagues. The top five leagues based on UEFA's rankings have a coefficient factor of two, while the leagues ranked sixth to 22nd by the governing body have a factor of 1.5.