The Premier League will have five teams in the Champions League next season after it secured one of the extra places for performance by clubs across the three European competitions.
Two leagues will be rewarded with a European Performance Spot (EPS), which was introduced in last season as part of a revamp to expand the Champions League to 36 teams competition.
England has been well out in front at the top of the table for most of the season, and the extra place was all but confirmed by a catalogue of poor results for Italian clubs in the knockout playoff round and the round of 16.
That left the Premier League needing only one win, or two draws, from the remaining fixtures and that was sealed on Tuesday when Arsenal won 3-0 at home to Real Madrid.
Fifth place in England will now qualify for the Champions League. Chelsea (53 points) sit fourth with Newcastle United (53) in fifth (and the Magpies have a crucial game in hand.) But a host of clubs are battling for the top five, including Manchester City (52), Aston Villa (51), Fulham (48) and Brighton & Hove Albion (47).
If Aston Villa win the Champions League (they play Paris Saint-Germain in the quarterfinals) and finish fifth then six teams qualify for the Champions League — the top four, the Champions League titleholders and the EPS, which drops to sixth place.
The maximum number of places in the Champions League could be seven: the top four, the EPS, plus Villa and Manchester United or Tottenham Hotspur as winners of the Champions League and Europa League.
ESPN reports that the Premier League could have 11 teams in Europe next season if Villa, Man United or Spurs and also Chelsea won the three titles and finished outside the domestic qualification places. Titleholders automatically qualify as additional places if they do not do so domestically.
If Arsenal or Aston Villa win the Champions League and finish inside the top four, there is no transfer to the Premier League; only the top five will qualify.
Spain — which, like the Premier League, still has five clubs active European competitions — is set to take the second spot but could yet be caught by Italy.
Last season, Italy and Germany were the beneficiaries, with Bologna and Borussia Dortmund finishing in fifth place in their respective league tables.
