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 weeks of the season. Here are the title races, Champions League fights, and relegation battles left to be decided in the top leagues.

Note: This story will be updated until the end of the season.

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EPL | LA LIGA | SERIE A | BUNDESLIGA | LIGUE 1 | GOLDEN SHOE

Premier League 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁥󠁮󠁧󠁿

Final day of season: May 25

Title winners

What once promised to be a thrilling battle between Liverpool and Arsenal ultimately turned into a procession. Arne Slot's team clinched a record-equaling 20th title in the English top flight with four matches to spare, sealing the deal with a 5-1 demolition of Tottenham Hotspur.

Liverpool, who also hoisted the trophy in 2020, are the only club other than Manchester City to win the Premier League since 2018.

The Reds' triumph has been powered in large part by the brilliance of Mohamed Salah, who's authoring one of the greatest individual seasons in English football history. Sitting on 46 goal involvements, he's one shy of tying the all-time Premier League record for a single season, and he's two assists away from equalling the mark for most ever in a campaign (20). Salah has three matches left to claim those records.

European qualification

Through its strong performances in European competition this season, the Premier League earned an extra Champions League spot for the 2025-26 campaign. The top five finishers will compete in the competition next year.

The Premier League's first tiebreaker, if necessary, is goal difference.

Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur will meet in the Europa League final on May 21, meaning an English club is guaranteed to win that tournament. As such, the Premier League will have six teams in next season's Champions League, and nine total in European competition:

• Champions League: League positions one to five, Man United or Tottenham
• Europa League: Sixth place, FA Cup winners
• Conference League: Carabao Cup winners

Newcastle have already won the Carabao Cup and are guaranteed of at least a Conference League spot. If they qualify for the Champions League or Europa League via their league position, then the Conference League berth will be granted to the highest Premier League finisher that isn't qualified for another European competition.

The FA Cup could have a similar impact on proceedings, depending on who wins; Man City will play Crystal Palace in the final on May 17. If Pep Guardiola's team wins and finishes in the top six, the Europa League berth will transfer to the side that finishes seventh in the table. There will be no knock-on effect in the league table if Palace win the FA Cup.

It's possible for England to have 10 total teams in European competition next season. For that to happen, Chelsea must win the Conference League - they're in the final against Real Betis on May 28 - and finish seventh. If they win the Conference League and finish sixth, Newcastle must finish seventh for 10 English teams to qualify for Europe. Both scenarios also require Palace to win the FA Cup.

Relegation and promotion

Southampton set an unwanted record for the earliest relegation in Premier League history, officially being consigned to the Championship with seven games to spare. The Saints, at least, avoided setting a record for the lowest points total in a Premier League season, eclipsing the 11 points that Derby County collected in 2007-08.

Leicester City and Ipswich Town joined them in making the drop, marking the second consecutive season that the Premier League's three promoted clubs were relegated directly back down to the Championship.

Championship winners Leeds United and runners-up Burnley were promoted from the second tier after becoming the seventh and eighth second-division sides to finish with 100 points or more.

Sheffield United are facing Bristol City in the semifinals of the promotion playoffs, while Coventry City and Sunderland contest the other. The semifinal winners will play for promotion in a winner-take-all final at Wembley Stadium on May 24.

La Liga 🇪🇸

Final day of season: May 25

Title race

Spain's scrap for top spot featured an intertwined trio of bitter rivals for some time, but that group of three has become a duo. Hansi Flick's exuberant Barcelona side, chasing a domestic treble and aiming to dethrone Carlo Ancelotti's Real Madrid, has the edge and is looking to pull away. The two behemoths next meet in Catalonia on Sunday. Barca could all but secure the title there and then with a win. Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, meanwhile, are out of contention for the title but have secured a Champions League spot.

La Liga's first tiebreaker is head-to-head record, followed by goal difference in head-to-head matches. Barca's 4-0 rout of Real Madrid in October, at the Santiago Bernabeu, looms large.

European qualification

Spain has joined the Premier League by earning an additional Champions League berth for next season, beating out Serie A in the battle for the last available extra spot.

Spain's top flight will send at least eight total teams to Europe next season:

• Champions League: League positions one to five
• Europa League: Sixth place, seventh place
• Conference League: Eighth place

With Barcelona beating Real Madrid 3-2 in a wild Copa del Rey final, the Europa League place that is typically reserved for the Spanish Cup winners will transfer down to whoever finishes seventh in the table, thus giving the eighth-placed finisher Spain's Conference League berth.

Relegation and promotion

Real Valladolid have officially been relegated despite their best efforts to avoid the inevitable. Five teams are frantically fighting to stay out of the other two spots in the drop zone.

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. Elche and Levante are sitting in the top two spots, but several other clubs are hot on their tails.

Serie A 🇮🇹

Final day of season: May 25

Title race

Italy has delivered arguably the most enthralling title race on the continent this year, and it's reaching a crescendo. Simone Inzaghi's Inter Milan are looking to retain their Serie A crown, but they fell into a slump at the worst possible time, losing ground to Napoli after a brutal week that also saw their treble hopes get dashed. Antonio Conte's men, seeking their second title in three seasons, have recovered from an earlier dip in form to win four straight games and move three points clear of the Nerazzurri with three matches remaining.

If the top two teams are tied on points at the end of the season, they'll play a one-game winner-take-all finale for the title. The side with the better goal difference would host the match. The only time a Scudetto playoff has been required in Serie A was 1964, when Bologna beat Inter to claim the last of their seven titles.

Inter, who will have one eye on their upcoming Champions League final clash against PSG, close out the season with games against Torino (away), Lazio, and Como (away). Napoli have the more favorable schedule on paper. They finish the campaign by playing Genoa, Parma (away), and Cagliari.

European qualification

As many as seven clubs are in the running for the top four. There are direct matchups involving most of the teams in question between now and season's end, so expect this to be a topsy-turvy race.

Serie A's European allotment should break down as follows:

• Champions League: League positions one to four
• Europa League: Fifth place, Coppa Italia winners
• Conference League: Sixth place

AC Milan defeated Inter to reach the Coppa Italia final, where they'll play Bologna. Finishing seventh in Serie A could yet yield a Conference League place, depending on who wins the cup final and where they finish in the table.

Relegation and promotion

Monza are the first to go down in Serie A this season, but the relegation dogfight isn't over. A playoff will be used if two teams finish tied for 18th place.

Former Serie A mainstays Sassuolo and Pisa are the two teams going up after securing the top two automatic promotion berths in the Serie B table. Coached by former Milan striker Filippo Inzaghi, Pisa will play in the top flight for the first time in 34 years. The teams that finish third through eighth will enter a playoff for the last promotion place.

Bundesliga 🇩🇪

Final day of season: May 17

Title winners

Bayern Munich reclaimed their crown from Bayer Leverkusen, and now have 34 Bundesliga championships in their history. No other German club has even hit double figures.

Harry Kane's league-leading 25 goals helped return Bayern to the summit and deliver the first major trophy of his career. Kane arrived in Munich in 2023 and seemed cursed as Leverkusen came out of nowhere to end Bayern's run of 11 consecutive titles last season. He's cursed no more.

European qualification

Despite missing out on the title, Leverkusen have joined Bayern in securing Champions League football for next season. Two spots remain to be filled.

Eintracht Frankfurt have been able to stay in contention despite losing Egyptian star Omar Marmoush to Manchester City in the winter transfer window, and are just two points away from sealing a top-four finish. Freiburg are close to sealing their first-ever Champions League berth, but Borussia Dortmund, last season's Champions League finalists, have won five of their last six league games to surge back into top-four contention.

Germany's European allotment will break down as follows:

• Champions League: League positions one to four
• Europa League: Fifth place, DFB-Pokal winners
• Conference League: Sixth place

Third-tier club Arminia Bielefeld have made a Cinderella run to the German Cup final, upsetting Leverkusen along the way. Bielefeld could become the first third-tier team to ever win the German Cup, and that would also give them a stunning Europa League berth. They'll play Stuttgart for the DFB-Pokal crown, so the Bundesliga's European places won't need to be transferred down the table.

Relegation and promotion

The 18-team Bundesliga uses a distinctive system to determine their final relegation and promotion places. The bottom two teams are automatically sent down to Bundesliga 2, while the top pair from the second division replaces them. Then it gets interesting. The outfit that finishes 16th in the Bundesliga enters a two-legged playoff against the third-placed squad from Bundesliga 2. The winner gets next season's spot in the top division.

In Germany, this unique method is known simply as the "Relegation."

Bochum and Holstein Kiel were officially relegated on the penultimate day of the season, leaving three teams fighting to avoid finishing 16th.

Fallen giants Hamburg will return to the Bundesliga next season after a seven-year absence from the top flight, while FC Koln are one point away from joining them. Elversberg currently sit third in Bundesliga 2, and are in line to meet Heidenheim in the playoff.

Ligue 1 🇫🇷

Final day of season: May 17

Title winners

Paris Saint-Germain conquered French football for the 11th time in 13 seasons, but their bid for the first undefeated campaign in Ligue 1 history collapsed in their fourth-to-last match.

The main stars of PSG's latest romp to the Ligue 1 title include Ousmane Dembele and Bradley Barcola, while in-form teenager Desire Doue scored the goal against Angers that rubber-stamped first place.

Les Parisiens are closing in on more silverware in the Champions League and Coupe de France. They'll face Inter in the continental showpiece on May 31, a week after the Coupe de France final against Reims.

European qualification

Unlike the other top European divisions, Ligue 1 only gets three automatic Champions League berths. Whoever finishes fourth enters the Champions League qualification rounds.

Marseille and Monaco sealed their automatic Champions League spots with wins on Saturday, leaving four teams in contention to finish fourth heading into the final day of the season next week.

Goal difference is the first tiebreaker in Ligue 1.

France's European allotment breaks down as follows:

• Champions League: League positions one to three
• Champions League qualifying: Fourth place
• Europa League: Fifth place, Coupe de France winners
• Conference League: Sixth place

Treble-chasing PSG will be heavy favorites to win the Coupe de France when they play Reims in the final. If PSG do indeed beat Reims, the Europa League berth reserved for the cup winners will transfer down to the sixth-placed Ligue 1 finisher, and the Conference League spot would then pass down to whoever finishes seventh in the table.

Relegation and promotion

Ligue 1's relegation system is similar to that of the Bundesliga. The bottom two teams tumble to the second tier, while the 16th-place finisher gets a chance at salvation in a playoff against a team from Ligue 2.

Montpellier, after a 16-year stint in Ligue 1, were the first team officially relegated this season.

In Ligue 2, Lorient clinched their promotion back to the top tier.

Paris FC, suddenly one of the richest clubs in France after a recent high-profile ownership change, completed their rise to Ligue 1, sealing promotion with five games left in the season. Their promotion should make things interesting in the French capital next season with Paris FC going up against Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain. It'll be the first season since 1989-90 that features two Paris clubs competing in France's top flight.

The teams that finish third through fifth enter a mini tournament to determine which Ligue 2 squad gets a shot at the promotion/relegation playoff. Metz have already secured third place.

European Golden Shoe 🏅

The European Golden Shoe is awarded to the highest scorer across the top tiers of Europe's various domestic leagues. Harry Kane took home the award in 2023-24 after racking up 36 Bundesliga tallies.

Only goals in league matches are considered, 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. That's why Sporting CP hitman Viktor Gyokeres has such a slender lead over Mohamed Salah in points despite scoring 10 more goals so far this season.

If players are tied on points, the one who accumulated those points in fewer minutes on the field is ranked higher.