The 2024-25 season has entered the closing stages, with the battles for the major honours, European qualification, relegation and promotion heating up.
Here’s a roundup of what’s at stake and what could be decided this weekend in the English Premier League, German Bundesliga, Spanish LaLiga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1.
This page will be updated through to the end of the European season.
Premier League
Last day: May 25
Title
Liverpool (83) were confirmed as champions on April 27 with four games to spare.
Champions League (5)
CONFIRMED
In 2025-26, the Premier League will have five teams in the Champions League due to the performance of its clubs in Europe this season, meaning the top five will qualify for the UCL.
Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur play each other in the Europa League final on May 21. The winners will qualify for the Champions League, meaning the Premier League will have six teams in the UCL and nine in Europe.
Liverpool have already booked their place, and while Arsenal (68, +33) looked assured of qualifying they still have a little work to do. Two points will secure it for the Gunners as a maximum of 70 is needed.
All of the top seven are now guaranteed European football of some description.
Five other teams are battling along with Arsenal for the remaining four places, with just two fixtures remaining. Newcastle United (66, +23), Chelsea (66, +20, 37 games) and Aston Villa (66, +9, 37 games) are holding them right now; Manchester City (65, +24) and Nottingham Forest (62, +12) will try to fight their way into those key positions.
Chelsea and Aston Villa picked up victories on Friday. On Sunday, Forest travel to West Ham, which is looks like a must-win game to keep their hopes alive. Then Arsenal are at home to Newcastle, and if the Gunners lose they will suddenly look in a little danger, though they have relegated Southampton on the final day.
Man City don’t play until Tuesday, when they are at home to Bournemouth.
There’s a big last-day fixture, when Chelsea head to Forest in what could be a winner-takes-all UCL showdown.
Europa League (2)
CONFIRMED
As it stands, sixth (Man City) will enter the Europa League by league position, and it will go to one of those teams in the Champions League section.
Sixth are joined by the FA Cup winners, Crystal Palace. (stream a replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.)
If Chelsea win the Conference League — they are in the final vs. Real Betis on May 28 — they are guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League, but will play in the Champions League if they finish in the top five. Their final position could also influence the allocation of European places.
1:48
Burley sounds off on the state of Man United, Tottenham
Craig Burley takes aim at Ruben Amorim and Ange Postecoglou given the state of their respective clubs.
Conference League (1)
Newcastle are guaranteed at least a place in the Conference League playoff round, as they won the Carabao Cup. But if Newcastle finish in the top six, to play in the UCL or UEL, the Conference League place goes to seventh.
The only way eighth can take the Conference League place is if Chelsea finish seventh and win the Conference League.
Brentford (55, +10) have eighth in their control, with Brighton & Hove Albion (55, +3), AFC Bournemouth (53, +12) and Fulham (51, +1) in contention.
Fulham have four points to make up and travel to Brentford on Sunday; Brighton have a tough game against champions Liverpool, while Bournemouth have to take on Man City.
If Brentford can win, a loss for Brighton on Monday and a draw/loss for Bournemouth on Tuesday will effectively lock the Bees in eighth, due to their far superior goal difference — but will it matter?
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
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18. Ipswich (36, 22)
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19. Leicester (36, 22)
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20. Southampton (36, 12)
Southampton (12), Leicester City (22) and Ipswich Town (22) have been relegated.
Leeds United and Burnley have been promoted back to the top flight from the Championship; another team will come up via the playoffs.
Sheffield United take on Sunderland in the playoff final on May 24.
LaLiga
Last day: May 25
Title
There are two games left to be played in Spain.
Barcelona (85) were crowned champions on May 15 with a 2-0 victory at Espanyol, moving them seven points ahead of Real Madrid (78).
Champions League (5)
CONFIRMED
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1. Barcelona (36, 85)
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2. Real Madrid (36, 78)
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3. Atlético Madrid (36, 70)
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4. Athletic Club (36, 67)
Like the Premier League, LaLiga will have five teams in the Champions League next season.
Barcelona, Real Madrid and Atlético Madrid (70) had already booked their places, with Athletic Club (67) making it four with a 2-0 win at Getafe on Thursday.
The contenders for the last UCL place are fifth-placed Villarreal (64) and Real Betis (59) in sixth.
Villarreal beat Leganés 3-0 on Wednesday to pull away from Betis.
Betis dropped points in a draw at Rayo Vallecano on Thursday, and that means it’s almost over for them. Villarreal can seal their place with a win on Sunday … the only issue is they are away at Barcelona. A chance for Betis? Unfortunately they also have a very difficult away fixture, at Atlético Madrid.
– Stream all LaLiga games live on ESPN+ (US only)
2:01
Barcelona celebrate 28th title win with parade
Barcelona celebrate winning their 28th LaLiga title win with an open-top bus parade through the streets of the city.
Europa League (2)
As Barcelona won the Copa del Rey, the place for the cup transfers to the league — sixth and seventh will enter the Europa League. One place will go to Athletic Club, Villarreal or Real Betis in sixth, but there’s a close race for seventh.
Celta Vigo (52) hold the spot, followed by Rayo Vallecano (48), Osasuna (48) and Mallorca (47).
On Tuesday, Celta Vigo won at Real Sociedad to open a gap and end the home side’s hopes of European football. On Wednesday, Valencia suffered a damaging defeat at Alavés and Mallorca lost at the Bernabeu.
Then on Thursday, Osasuna won 2-0 against Atlético Madrid and Vallecano drew with Betis.
It now looks very good for Celta, and they can confirm their place in the Europa League if they win on Sunday — but it’s certainly not over. Celta entertain Rayo Vallecano, so an away win opens it right back up again. Also on Sunday, Osasuna are at home to Espanyol and Mallorca host Getafe.
Real Betis are in the Conference League final, with the winners of competition earning a spot in the Europa League, but this can’t impact the LaLiga allocation.
Europa Conference League (1)
This will go to eighth place, held right now by Rayo Vallecano, with the same list of teams battling it out as noted in the Europa League section.
Although Valencia (45) cannot now qualify for the Europa League, they do have a sniff of eighth. But on Sunday they face a tough home game against Athletic Club.
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
Real Valladolid (16) went down last month, and they were joined by Las Palmas (32) on Wednesday. Alavés (38) pulled clear by beating Valencia, leaving them six points ahead of Las Palmas with a better head-to-head record.
That leaves one place, with Leganés (34) looking doomed after losing in midweek. There would appear to be no way out, but there actually is hope of catching Alavés as Leganés travel to Las Palmas on Sunday.
If Leganés lose, they would definitely be down.
If the game is a draw, Leganés would be relegated if Alavés win or draw.
If Leganés win, it will likely go to the final day for the third relegation place and we might see Espanyol (39) and Getafe (39) in trouble.
It’s a very tight race for the two automatic promotion places from LaLiga2.
Elche, Levante, Mirandés, Racing Santander and Real Oviedo are fighting it out. A third team comes up through four-team playoffs.
Bundesliga
League season completed
Title
Bayern Munich (82) won the title on May 4.
Champions League (4)
CONFIRMED
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1. Bayern Munich (34, 82)
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2. Bayer Leverkusen (34, 69)
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3. Eintracht Frankfurt (34, 60)
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4. Borussia Dortmund (34, 57)
Bayern and Bayer Leverkusen (68) had already secured their places weeks ago, leaving a three-horse race for the final two spots on the final day.
Borussia Dortmund (57) were guaranteed one of the places if they won by two or more goals, and within the first 10 minutes they had scored and Holstein Kiel had been reduced to 10 men. They went on to win 3-0 and cruise into the UCL.
The real battle saw fourth play third in the standings before kick off as SC Freiburg (55) were at home to Eintracht Frankfurt (60).
Freiburg led until the fourth minute of first-half stoppage time, when Frankfurt found an equaliser. That gave the visitors the confidence they needed, going on to win the match 3-1 and take a place in the Champions League.
2:04
Has Bayer Leverkusen’s golden era come to an end?
Janusz Michallik believes Bayer Leverkusen’s most successful era has officially come to an end.
Europa League (2)
CONFIRMED
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5. Freiburg (34, 55)
Only fifth qualified via league placing, with Freiburg having to make do with a spot in the Europa League.
For the second successive season, the final of the DFB Pokal (stream LIVE on May 24 on ESPN+, U.S. only) sees a Bundesliga club take on a lower-league side. Last season, Leverkusen beat then-2. Bundesliga strugglers Kaiserslautern.
This time VfB Stuttgart will play Arminia Bielefeld who, incredibly, are in the third division and have been promoted as champions.
The winners of the Pokal will qualify for the Europa League.
Stuttgart finished ninth on 50 points, so there will be no transfer of the place to the league if they win the cup. If Arminia Bielefeld produce a shock win in the final, they are set to play in the Europa League as a second-division club
Conference League (1)
Europa League (2)
CONFIRMED
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6. Mainz (34, 52)
Mainz (52) drew 2-2 at home to Leverkusen on the final day, though as it turned out they could have lost and still taken the Conference League qualifying round spot.
RB Leipzig (51) were beaten 3-2 at home by Stuttgart, and they were the only team who could have thwarted Mainz.
There was no route into Europe for seventh or eighth as there was last season.
Relegation (2+1)
Two teams are relegated automatically, while third-bottom takes on third place in the 2.Bundesliga in a playoff.
CONFIRMED
VfL Bochum (25) and Holstein Kiel (25) are down, with 1. FC Heidenheim (29) unable to avoid the playoff after losing to Werder Bremen on the final day.
In 2.Bundesliga, Hamburg have been promoted. FC Cologne need at least a draw at home to sixth-placed Kaiserslautern on Sunday to go up. If Cologne lose, SV 07 Elversberg or Paderborn would overtake them on goal difference with a win for the second automatic spot.
Serie A
Last day: May 25
Title
The tight title race continues between Napoli (78) and Internazionale (77) with two games to be played.
On Sunday, it’s Parma vs. Napoli and Inter vs, Lazio. The title can be decided if Napoli win and Inter lose.
If the two teams finish on the same points there will be a one-legged playoff, hosted by the club with the best goal difference, to decide the Scudetto.
Champions League (4)
CONFIRMED
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1. Napoli (36, 78)
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2. Inter Milan (36, 77)
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3. Atalanta (37, 74)
Atalanta (71) got over the line with a 2-1 win over Roma on Monday. The fight for the last spot is intense, with a maximum of 71 points required.
Juventus (64) are in fourth, followed by: Lazio (64), AS Roma (63), Bologna (62) and AC Milan (60).
All the teams in contention play at the same time on Sunday.
Juventus are at home to Udinese and have the most favourable fixture. Lazio have to go to Inter Milan, Roma and Milan face each other, and Bologna are at Fiorentina.
Juve could be confirmed in the UCL if they win, Lazio and Roma lose, and Bologna fail to win.
Milan have won four of their last five matches to climb back into contention for Europe, but taking fourth looks a huge stretch.
If Inter win the Champions League there will be no impact on the Serie A places.
1:27
Inter or PSG: Which team is favourite to win the Champions League?
Stewart Robson and Alejandro Moreno preview the Champions League final between PSG and Inter Milan.
Europa League (2)
Bologna are guaranteed at least Europa League football after they won the Coppa Italia, beating AC Milan 1-0 in the final. If Bologna finish in the top five, then sixth will play in the UEL by league position.
On league position, fifth place (Lazio as it stands) will play in the Europa League, which will also be a battle between the clubs listed above.
Milan and Fiorentina (59) still have a chance of finishing fifth or sixth if others stumble.
Conference League (1)
At present this goes to sixth (Roma), though it will pass to seventh if Bologna finish in the top six. If so, that gives AC Milan and Fiorentina a marginally better chance of claiming a place in Europe.
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
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20. Monza (36, 18)
Monza (18) were relegated last month.
It’s a fierce battle to avoid the last two spots between Empoli (28), Lecce (28) and Venezia (29).
On Sunday, Empoli are at Monza, Lecce host Torino and Venezia make the trip to Cagliari.
While it’s probably a three-horse battle, Parma (32), Hellas Verona (33) and Cagliari (33) aren’t quite safe.
In Serie B, Sassuolo and Pisa have been promoted. One of six clubs will also come up through the end-of-season playoffs. Spezia, Cremonese, Juve Stabia, Catanzaro and Palermo have booked five of the six places with one round to play.
Ligue 1
League season completed
Title
Paris Saint-Germain (84) secured the title with ease on April 5.
If PSG win the Champions League there will be no impact on the Ligue 1 places.
Champions League (3+1)
France gets three automatic places, with fourth place entering the UCL in the third qualifying round.
CONFIRMED
Marseille (65) and AS Monaco (61) sealed the direct spots with a game to spare.
Nice (60, +25) thrashed Brest 6-0 to secure the place in qualifying on goal difference ahead of Lille (60, +16).
Europa League (2)
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5. Lille (34, 60)
Lille are sure to be in the Europa League.
If PSG win the Coupe de France final on May 24, a UEL place will pass to sixth-placed Lyon (57). PSG play Stade de Reims, who are 16th and will not finish in a domestic European place. If Reims win the cup, they will be in the Europa League — possibly as a Ligue 2 club.
Conference League (1)
Strasbourg (57) were certain of being in Europe, until they lost to at home to Le Havre through a penalty on 90+9. That meant they dropped below Lyon, and the only way Strasbourg can now qualify for Europe is if PSG take the Coupe de France — seventh place will be in the Conference League playoff round.
NB: Lyon are provisionally relegated to Ligue 2 on financial grounds, which could affect European allocation.
Relegation (2+1)
CONFIRMED
Montpellier (16) were relegated in April, leaving one automatic and one playoff spot to be decided on the last day.
Relegation for Saint-Etienne (30) was confirmed when they lost at home to Toulouse. Le Havre AC (34) looked certain to be in the relegation playoff with their game at Strasbourg level in the ninth minute of added time, but the late winner lifted them out of the bottom three and dumped in cup finalists Stade de Reims (33), who were beaten at Lille.
Lorient and Paris FC have secured promotion from Ligue 2, with Metz to play Le Havre in the relegation/promotion playoff.
