Clubs scrambling to take fifth place in Champions League race – the permutations

Here, we take a look at the battle for fifth place and what it might take to claim the lucrative prize it would secure.

The race for Champions League qualification is reaching crunch point (Joe Giddens/PA)

The race for Champions League qualification has an intriguing added dimension this season with the Premier League having been granted a fifth place.

With Arsenal having reached the last four in Europe’s premier club competition and Manchester United and Tottenham among the Europa League semi-finalists, as many as seven English clubs could rub shoulders with the continent’s elite in 2025-26.