Following the elimination of Manchester City and Arsenal from this season’s competition on Wednesday night, the Premier League’s hopes of earning an additional spot in the next season’s expanded Champions League are in shambles, with Germany now the heavy favorite to win.
By Thursday night’s close of play in the Europa League and Europa Conference League quarter-final second legs—with West Ham’s match against Bayer Leverkusen in the former potentially crucial—the situation for the English top flight could become even more dire or even terminal.
The rivalry between Aston Villa and Tottenham for fourth place in the Premier League has intensified due to the current circumstances. With a game remaining, Villa is three points ahead of Spurs in fourth place.
England will have four automatic qualifying spots in the Champions League for the following season, which will be awarded to the top four Premier League finishers.
However, the expectation had been that finishing fifth in the Premier League could result in a bonus since two European leagues would receive additional spots in the 36-team Champions League for 2024–25.
The recipients of these spots will be decided by the clubs’ performances in all three European competitions this season. These days, the likelihood is dwindling.
Italy’s strong club performances in Europe this season have virtually guaranteed them one of the two additional spots; the second spot will be decided by a match between Germany and England.
Germany is now on the winning side, especially now that Bayern Munich defeated Arsenal to go to the Champions League semifinals. On Tuesday, Borussia Dortmund advanced by defeating Atlético Madrid, while City lost on penalties against Real Madrid.
