Ups, downs and the race for Europe

3 May – Leeds clinch Championship title

3 May: League One relegation for Luton and Plymouth.

Doncaster clinches League Two on May 3rd.

3 May – Bradford promoted to League One

Falkirk promoted to the Scottish Premiership on May 2.

Liverpool clinched the Premier League title on 27 April with a 5-1 win over Tottenham at Anfield.

The top five teams are guaranteed qualification for the Champions League’s league phase, with Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid on April 8 guaranteeing that England will be one of the two associations with the highest Uefa coefficients for 2024-25 and clinching a fifth place in addition to the usual four.

There are also places in the league phase reserved for the winners of this season’s Champions League and Europa League, regardless of their domestic league positions.

The sixth-placed Premier League team will qualify for the league phase of the Europa League, along with the FA Cup winners. If the FA Cup winners have already qualified for the Champions League, that Europa place reverts to the league.

Newcastle United‘s victory in the Carabao Cup final means that at worst they will qualify for the Conference League play-off round. However, that Conference League spot will revert to the league if they are unable to qualify for Europe due to their position in the league.

Chelsea will advance to the Europa League’s league phase if they win the Conference League but do not advance to the Champions League.

Both Arsenal and Manchester United are close to sealing their Champions League spots.

Leeds United and Burnley both clinched automatic promotion to the Premier League on 21 April when the Clarets beat Sheffield United 2-1. Leeds secured the title on the final day of the season with a 2-1 win at Plymouth.

Sheffield United, Sunderland, Coventry City and Bristol City will contest the play-offs for the third promotion place.

Stockport, Charlton, Wycombe and Leyton Orient will contest the play-offs for the third promotion place.

Rovers of Doncaster and Port Vale were automatically promoted to League One on 26 April, as Rovers beat Bradford 2-1 and Vale won 2-0 at AFC Wimbledon. Doncaster secured the title with a 2-0 win at Notts County on the final day of the season, when Bradford City claimed the final automatic promotion place by beating Fleetwood 1-0.

Walsall, AFC Wimbledon, Notts County and Chesterfield will contest the play-offs for the final promotion place.

The play-offs will feature teams from York City, Forest Green Rovers, Rochdale, Oldham, Halifax, and one more team (Southend or Gateshead, who meet on the final day of the season).

The bottom four teams will be relegated to National League North or South, and will be replaced with the champions and play-off winners of those two divisions.

After drawing 3-3 with Aldershot on March 22, Ebbsfleet United, who became the first team in England’s top five divisions to be relegated, and AFC Fylde, who lost 1-0 to Halifax, joined them on April 18 as they bid to relegate themselves. Between Maidenhead, Wealdstone, Dagenham &amp, Redbridge, and Braintree are the final two relegation places.

The Premiership has now split in half after 33 games – with each club playing the others in their ‘ half ‘ for a fourth and final time.

The third-placed Premiership team will enter the Europa League after the second qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team will enter the Conference League after the second qualifying round.

Aberdeen will advance to the Europa League in the play-off round if they win the Scottish Cup, regardless of their position in the league. If Celtic win the Cup, “their” Europa place reverts to the league and will go to the third-placed Premiership team, with the fourth-placed team entering at the second qualifying round and the fifth-placed team entering the Conference League at the second qualifying round.

Champions Falkirk are promoted to the Scottish Premiership, having secured the title on 2 May with a final-day 3-1 win over Hamilton.

The 11th-placed Premiership team will face off against Livingston, Ayr United, and Partick Thistle.

Bottom club Hamilton Academical were deducted 15 points on 17 April for a breach of SPFL rules, and their relegation to Scottish League One was confirmed two days later after a 0-0 draw with Queen’s Park. The Accies lost a subsequent appeal against the deduction.

Arbroath were promoted to the Scottish Championship after beating Stranraer 4-0 on 12 April to clinch the title.

Play-offs will be held between Cove Rangers, Queen of the South, and Stenhousemuir against Championship side Airdrieonians, who are ninth-placed.

Bottom club Dumbarton are relegated to Scottish League Two. They became the first SPFL team to be relegated after drawing 0-0 with Queen of the South on 22 March.

Peterhead clinched the title and automatic promotion to Scottish League One by beating East Fife 1-0 on 26 April.

East Fife, Edinburgh City and Elgin City will enter a play-off with ninth-placed League One side Annan.