The 2024-25 season has entered the closing stages, with the battles for the major honors, 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 (82) were confirmed as champions last weekend 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.
Liverpool have already booked their place, with Arsenal on the brink of sealing their spot. They need a maximum of five points to guarantee it.
Five teams are battling for the remaining three places, with Manchester City (64, 35 games), Newcastle United (62), and Chelsea (60) holding them right now. Nottingham Forest (60) and Aston Villa (57) will try to fight their way into those key positions.
Man City appear to have the most favorable fixture list, with Chelsea the trickiest.
There are two key head-to-head clashes, both involving Chelsea. The Blues must travel to Newcastle in Gameweek 36, and then to Forest on the final day, which could be a winner-takes-all UCL showdown.
If Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League — they are both in the semifinals — the Premier League will have an additional sixth team in the Champions League. (It would be seven in total if Arsenal were also to win the UCL and finish outside the top four.)
Europa League (2)
As it stands, sixth (Forest) will enter the Europa League by league position, and it will go to one of the teams in the Champions League section.
Sixth will be joined by the FA Cup winners, with Crystal Palace taking on Man City in the final on May 17 (stream live on ESPN+ in the U.S.).
If Palace, who are 12th, win the FA Cup, then there will be no knock-on effect to the league places; the Eagles will be in the Europa League.
However, if Man City win it and finish in the top six, the FA Cup’s Europa League place will go to seventh — most probably to last of the teams listed in the UCL race.
If Chelsea win the Conference League — they are also in the semifinals — 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.
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.
If the FA Cup winners and Newcastle finish in the top seven, the Conference League playoff-round place goes to eighth. Fulham (51) are eighth, followed by Brighton & Hove Albion (51), AFC Bournemouth (50), Brentford (49) and Palace (45), so there’s every reason for these five clubs to play as though the season is still alive.
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
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18. Ipswich (34, 21)
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19. Leicester (34, 18)
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20. Southampton (34, 11)
Southampton (11). Leicester City (18) and Ipswich Town (21) 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 and Sunderland have booked two of the four playoff places, with the final taking place on May 24.
LaLiga
Last day: May 25
Title
All teams have played 33 matches, so there are five rounds to be played.
Barcelona (76) hold a four-point advantage over Real Madrid (72). The meeting of the two sides at Barcelona’s temporary home, Estadi Olímpic Lluís Companys, on May 11 could be must-win for Los Blancos.
In fact, if Barcelona beat relegated Real Valladolid on Saturday, and Real Madrid lose at home to Europa League-chasing Celta Vigo on Sunday, the Catalans could clinch the title by winning the clasico.
– Stream all LaLiga games live on ESPN+ (US only)
Champions League (5)
CONFIRMED
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1. Barcelona (33, 76)
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2. Real Madrid (33, 72)
Like the Premier League, LaLiga will have five teams in the Champions League next season.
Barcelona and Real Madrid are both assured of being in the competition, while Atlético Madrid (66) are almost there with a maximum of 70 points required.
Athletic Club (60) in fourth are strong favorites to qualify, though they have work to do.
It then looks like it will be a straight battle for the last UCL place between fifth-place Villarreal (55) and Real Betis (54) in sixth.
Barcelona winning the Champions League cannot change the LaLiga allocation. But if Athletic Club win the Europa League — they are in the semifinals — and finish fifth or sixth, then the top six will play in the Champions League next season.
1:55
Should Yamal playing 100 games at 17-years-old be a concern?
Gab & Juls debate whether Lamine Yamal has played too much for Barcelona after his 100th senior appearance.
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 is likely to go to Villarreal or Real Betis, but there’s a close race for seventh.
Celta Vigo (46) hold seventh now, followed by Osasuna (44), Rayo Vallecano (44, 34 games), Mallorca (44) and Real Sociedad (42).
Real Betis are in the Conference League semifinals, with the competition earning a spot in the Europa League, but to impact the LaLiga allocation they would have to finish eighth or lower, which is highly unlikely.
Europa Conference League (1)
This will go to eighth place, held right now by Osasuna, with the same list of teams battling it out as noted in the Europa League section. There’s a small chance Getafe (39, 34 games), Espanyol (39) and Valencia (39) could push into contention.
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
Real Valladolid (16) are down, and it then seems to be a battle between four clubs for the final two places. Leganés (30) look in major trouble in second bottom, with Las Palmas (32) in the last relegation place. Just out of it, for now, are Alavés (34) and Girona (35).
Sevilla (37) probably have enough of a buffer to avoid a shock relegation — but they do host Leganés on Sunday and Las Palmas on May 13, so defeats would completely change the picture. Then it’s Leganés vs. Las Palmas on the penultimate weekend.
Two of Elche, Levante and Racing Santander look most likely to take the automatic promotion places from LaLiga2, though Real Oviedo or Mirandés could still mount a late challenge, A third team comes up through four-team playoffs.
Title
All teams have played 31 matches, with three games to be played.
Bayern Munich (75) can be crowned champions on Saturday if they win at RB Leipzig.
If Bayern draw or lose that match, the title could still be confirmed on Sunday if Bayer Leverkusen (67) drop points when they go to Freiburg.
– Stream all Bundesliga games live on ESPN+ (US only)
Champions League (4)
CONFIRMED
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1. Bayern Munich (30, 72)
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2. Bayer Leverkusen (30, 64)
Bayern and Leverkusen have already secured their places, leaving two to play for.
Eintracht Frankfurt (55) are in a very strong position after beating RB Leipzig last weekend, and they could be confirmed in the UCL in this round. If RB Leipzig draw/lose (Saturday) or Freiburg lose (Sunday), Frankfurt will seal it with victory at Mainz in the final match of the weekend on Sunday.
SC Freiburg (51) hold fourth but must face Leverkusen, while fifth-placed RB Leipzig (49) take on Bayern. That could create a real opportunity for the chasing pack: Borussia Dortmund (48), Mainz (47), Werder Bremen (46).
Europa League (2)
Only fifth place (RB Leipzig going into the weekend) will be in this competition, with the same clubs listed above in contention. Borussia Monchengladbach (44) and 10th-place FC Augsburg (43) are now outside shots.
For the second successive season, the DFB Pokal (stream the final 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. The winners of the final will qualify for the Europa League.
Stuttgart are in 11th on 41 points and won’t finish in the top six, so there will be no transfer of the place to the league if they win the cup. If Arminia Bielefeld, who are second in the 3. Liga, produce a shock win in the final, they are set to play in the Europa League as a second- or third-division club
Conference League (1)
Sixth place (now Dortmund) will enter the Conference League playoff round.
There is 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.
Holstein Kiel (22) and VfL Bochum (22, 32 games) are in the bottom two, with 1. FC Heidenheim (26, 32 games) in the playoff place. Heidenheim and Bochum, who can now finish no better than third-bottom and could be relegated next weekend, drew 0-0 on Friday.
It now looks like a three-horse battle for the relegation places, with TSG Hoffenheim (30) four points clear with two matches to play.
For Kiel and Bochum, their only realistic hope is to get above Heidenheim and into the playoff place.
In 2. Bundesliga, FC Cologne and Hamburg are holding the top two places with SC Paderborn 07 in third and hoping to make a late challenge.
Serie A
Last day: May 25
Title
Internazionale (71) suffered a damaging home defeat to AS Roma last weekend, leaving Napoli (74) in control of the title race with four games to be played.
Champions League (4)
CONFIRMED
Napoli have sealed their place and Inter only need a point to join them.
Atalanta (65) look strong in third with Juventus (62) in fourth, but there’s a chasing pack: Bologna (61), AS Roma (60) Lazio (60) and Fiorentina (59).
There are some big clashes coming up which will have a huge impact on the final outcome:
Sunday: Roma vs. Fiorentina, Bologna vs. Juventus
May 11: Atalanta vs. Roma, Lazio vs. Juventus
May 18: Inter vs. Lazio
If Inter win the Champions League, there will be no impact on the Serie A places.
1:09
Marcotti: Inter Milan were brave vs. Barcelona
Gab Marcotti praises Inter Milan’s “brave” performance away at Barcelona in their UCL semifinal first leg game vs. Barcelona.
Europa League (2)
Fifth place (Bologna going into the weekend) will play in the Europa League, which will also be a battle between the clubs listed above.
The Coppa Italia final sees Bologna play AC Milan on May 14 — 11 days before the league season finishes. Milan (54) are ninth and struggling to qualify for Europe, six points behind sixth and seventh; winning the Coppa Italia could be their best hope.
Sixth place (now Roma) in the league will earn a Europa League place if Bologna win the final and finish in the top five.
Fiorentina are in the Conference League semifinals with the winners getting a place in the Europa League. This could not benefit another Serie A club.
Conference League (1)
At present this goes to sixth (Roma), subject to whether Bologna win the Coppa Italia and where they finish.
If Bologna lift the trophy and finish top six, seventh (Lazio) will be in the Conference League playoff round spot. If so, that actually gives AC Milan an outside chance if they can bridge the six-point gap.
Relegation (3)
CONFIRMED
Monza (15) were relegated last weekend after they lost 2-0 at Juventus.
It’s a fierce battle for the last two spots between Empoli (25), Venezia (26, 35 games) and Lecce (27). You maybe wouldn’t feel 100 percent safe if you supported Hellas Verona (32), Parma (32) or Cagliari (33).
In Serie B, Sassuolo have already been promoted with Pisa almost certain to join them in second. One of six clubs will also come up through the end-of-season playoffs.
Ligue 1
Last day: May 17
Title
Paris Saint-Germain (78) secured the title with ease.
Champions League (3+1)
France gets three automatic places, with fourth place entering the UCL in the third qualifying round.
CONFIRMED
It’s a very, very close battle in France, with six clubs in realistic contention to play in the Champions League along with PSG.
Marseille (58) and Nice (57, 32 games) sit in the League Phase spots, with Lille (56) in the qualifying round place with all but Nice having three matches to play.
Lille host Marseille on Sunday, meaning one — or perhaps both — will drop points.
The trio are being hunted down by AS Monaco (55), Lyon (54) and Strasbourg (54). Strasbourg host PSG on Saturday.
Looking ahead, Lyon go to Monaco on May 10 in another huge UCL head-to-head clash.
Europa League (2)
Fifth place (Lyon now) will be in the Europa League.
However, if PSG win the Coupe de France final on May 24, the UEL place will pass to sixth (that’s Nice at the moment). PSG play Stade de Reims, who are 13th and will not finish in a domestic European place. If Reims win the cup, they will be in the Europa League.
Conference League (1)
At present, this goes to sixth (Nice) and is a battle between clubs listed.
If PSG take the Coupe de France, seventh will be in the Conference League playoff round — a position held by Strasbourg.
Relegation (2+1)
CONFIRMED
Montpellier (16) were relegated last weekend when they drew with Reims, leaving one automatic and one playoff spot to be decided.
Saint-Etienne (27) are second bottom, with Le Havre AC (28) in the playoff position. They could drag in Angers (30), Nantes (32) or Reims (33, 32 games). Saint-Etienne go to Reims in the penultimate gameweek.
Third bottom will playoff against a Ligue 2 club, with the top two in that division up automatically. Lorient and Paris FC have secured promotion; with Metz in the playoff.
