BBC Sport outlines the promotion and relegation issues – and the race for European qualification – in England and Scotland for 2025-26.
Recent confirmed promotions, relegations, titles & qualifications
19 May – Arsenal win Premier League title
19 May – Bournemouth qualify for Europa League
16 May – Celtic win Scottish Premier League title
16 May – Motherwell qualify for Conference League
16 May – Stenhousemuir promoted to Scottish Championship
13 May – Aston Villa qualify for Champions League
Premier League
Arsenal clinched the title on 19 May when their nearest tivals Manchester City could only draw 1-1 at Bournemouth.
The top five teams are guaranteed qualification for the league phase of the Champions League, with four regular places boosted by England being one of the two associations with the highest coefficient for 2025-26 to earn one of the European Performance Spots (EPS), as confirmed on 7 April.
Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United and Aston Villa cannot finish lower than fifth, so have confirmed their Champions League spots. Should Arsenal win this season’s Champions League, that would not earn an extra Champions League berth for English teams.
However, there is a place in the league phase of the Champions League reserved for the Europa League winners – which could be Villa.
Should Villa win the Europa League and finish third or fourth, nothing would change. If they win it and finish fifth, they would enter the Champions League, as would the sixth-placed team via the EPS – but England would forfeit a Europa League place.
Because Manchester City have qualified for the Champions League, their Europa League place earned as FA Cup winners and their Conference League place earned as Carabao Cup final winners both revert to the league.
That means sixth and seventh place in the Premier League qualify for the Europa League’s league phase, and eighth place qualifies for the Conference League play-off round.
Liverpool and Bournemouth have qualified for the Europa League at worst.
If Crystal Palace win the Conference League, they will qualify for the league phase of the Europa League.
The bottom three teams will be relegated to the Championship. Wolverhampton Wanderers‘ relegation was confirmed on 20 April after West Ham’s 0-0 draw at Crystal Palace, while Burnley went down on 22 April after losing 1-0 to Manchester City. The final relegation place is between West Ham and Tottenham.
- Premier League secures fifth Champions League spot
- How Villa could get sixth into the Champions League
Women’s Super League
Manchester City clinched the WSL title when rivals Arsenal could only draw 1-1 with Brighton on 6 May.
The champions and runners-up Arsenal will enter the league phase of the Women’s Champions League, with third-placed Chelsea entering in the third round.
Bottom side Leicester City will face a play-off against the third-placed WSL 2 team, Charlton Athletic on 23 May. With the WSL expanding to 14 teams for 2026-27, the top two teams in WSL 2 – Birmingham City and Crystal Palace – have earned automatic promotion.
Championship
Coventry City clinched promotion by drawing 1-1 at Blackburn on 17 April, and made sure of the title four days later by thrashing Portsmouth 5-1. They will be joined in the Premier League by Ipswich Town, who beat QPR 3-0 on 2 May to seal the runners-up spot.
Hull CIty will face Middlesbrough in the play-off final on 23 May for the final promotion place, with Boro reinstated after losing their semi-final to Southampton who were expelled following a spying scandal.
Having suffered two points deductions, Sheffield Wednesday‘s relegation to League One was confirmed on 22 February when they lost 2-1 at Sheffield United. Leicester City joined them on 21 April after drawing 2-2 with Hull, and Oxford United became the third relegated team before they kicked off on 25 April after two other results went against them.
League One
Lincoln City became the first EFL team to be promoted in 2025-26 when they won 2-1 at Reading on 6 April, and clinched the title on 21 April after winning 2-0 at Doncaster. They will be joined in the Championship by runners-up Cardiff City who clinched promotion on 18 April with a 3-1 win at Reading.
Stockport County will face Bolton Wanderers in the play-off final on 24 May for the last promotion place.
The bottom four teams are relegated to League Two. Rotherham United were the first team to succumb when they lost 3-0 at Wigan on 14 April, Northampton Town joined them when they were beaten 2-1 at Luton the following day, and Port Vale went down after losing 1-0 at Cardiff on 22 April. Exeter City were relegated after losing 2-1 to Bradford on 2 May.
League Two
Bromley clinched promotion to League One without kicking a ball on 18 April after Notts County lost 2-1 to Barnet, while a 3-1 win over Walsall on 2 May handed them the title. Milton Keynes Dons made sure fo promotion on 25 April after beating Tranmere 3-0, and Cambridge United took the third automatic place on 2 May with a goalless draw at Crewe.
Salford City will face Notts County in the play-off final on 25 May for the final promotion spot.
The bottom two teams will be relegated to the National League, and both went down on 2 May – Barrow lost 2-1 to Newport County and Harrogate Town were beaten 2-1 by Barnet.
National League
York City were promoted to the EFL as champions after dramatically drawing 1-1 with nearest rivals Rochdale on the final day of the season. Rochdale were promoted after beating Boreham Wood on penalties in the play-off final on 10 May.
Truro City were relegated on 3 April after losing 1-0 at Yeovil, and Braintree Town joined them on 6 April after drawing 0-0 with Woking.Brackley Town and Morecambe were both relegated on 11 April – the former after a 1-0 defeat at Scunthorpe and the latter following a 5-1 loss at Woking.
They will be replaced by National League North champions AFC Fylde and play-off winners Kidderminster Harriers, and National League South champions Worthing and play-off winners Hornchurch,
Scottish Premiership
Champions Celtic will enter the Champions League play-off round, with runners-up Hearts entering in the second qualifying round, after Celtic beat Hearts 3-1 on the final day of the season.
Third-placed Rangers and fourth-placed Motherwell will enter the Conference League in the second qualifying round.
However, if Celtic win the Scottish Cup, the Europa League third qualifying round place reserved for the Cup winners goes to Rangers, with Motherwell and fifth-placed Hibernian entering the Conference League.
Bottom club Livingston were relegated to the Scottish Championship on 2 May after Kilmarnock’s 3-0 win over Dundee United, while 11th-placed St Mirren face a relegation play-off against Championship side Partick Thistle on 21 and 25 May.
Scottish Championship
Champions St Johnstone are promoted to the Scottish Premiership, having clinched top spot on 21 April with a 2-0 win at Dunfermline.
Partick Thistle will meet the 11th-placed Premiership team St Mirren in the play-off final (on 21 and 25 May) for the final place in next season’s top flight.
If Dunfermline Athletic win the Scottish Cup, they will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying round.
Bottom club Ross County will be relegated to Scottish League One after losing 3-2 at Raith Rovers on 1 May. Ninth-placed Airdrieonians went down on 9 May after losing their relegation play-off to League One side Alloa.
Scottish League One
Champions Inverness Caledonian Thistle are automatically promoted to the Scottish Championship after beating Hamilton 2-1 on 2 May..
Stenhousemuir were promoted after beating Alloa 3-2 over two legs in the play-off final.on 13 and 16 May.
Bottom club Kelty Hearts were relegated to League Two on 25 April after losing 2-0 to Cove Rangers, while ninth-placed Hamilton Academical stayed up after beating League Two side Clyde in the play-off final.
Scottish League Two
East Kilbride clinched the title and automatic promotion to Scottish League One with a 5-0 win over Clyde on 2 May. They will be the only team promoted after League One side Hamilton beat Clyde in the play-off final.
After finishing bottom, Edinburgh City beat Highland League champions Brora Rangers 3-1 on aggregate in the relegation play-off to retain their place in League Two for 2026-27.