Tracking title races, relegation: What's at stake on final PL day?
How are the battles for major honors, Champions League spots and relegation shaping up across the continent? Here's everything you need to know.
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The end of the European soccer season is fast approaching, and the battles for major honors, UEFA Champions League qualification and relegation are truly heating up.
Here's where things stand across the English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga, German Bundesliga, Italian Serie A and French Ligue 1, plus other key title races in the sport across the world. This story will be updated weekly through the season's final day, so be sure to check back frequently for the latest information.
Last updated: May 21
Jump to: Premier League | LaLiga Bundesliga | Serie A | Ligue 1 Other races to watch
Premier League
Arsenal's 22-year wait to win the Premier League ended on Tuesday, as they were crowned champions with Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. Their last league title came via the famous "Invincibles" team of 2003-04.
The Premier League will be granted an extra place in the UEFA Champions League next season due to the UEFA club coefficient rankings. It means the top five finishers will play in Europe's premier competition next season.
That was good news for Manchester United, Aston Villa and Liverpool, who have been vying for Champions League qualification.
United cemented third place with a victory over Nottingham Forest last weekend, meaning they will return to European football next term after suffering the embarrassment of playing only 40 total games this season.
Aston Villa had already guaranteed their Champions League spot for next season, but their winning the Europa League final on Wednesday has created a scenario where whoever finishes sixth (likely Bournemouth) will also play in the Champions League next season.
For that to happen, Villa need to come exactly fifth, which can only happen if:
Aston Villa lose to Manchester City (A) on Sunday Liverpool beat Brentford (H) on Sunday If those two results were to occur -- the overall scorelines do not matter -- then Bournemouth would need only a point away to Nottingham Forest on Sunday to claim Champions League football. Brighton, who are seventh, could still pip Bournemouth to sixth place should they beat United (H) and the Cherries suffer defeat.
As for Liverpool, they need just a point against Brentford to secure fifth place and their own Champions League berth for next season.
The only scenario in which Arne Slot's side can miss out on playing in the Champions League altogether would be if they lose to Brentford, Bournemouth win and make up the six-goal deficit on goal difference. It's quite unlikely, but stranger things have happened.
Chelsea had been in the hunt for Champions League football until their form collapsed -- so much so they sacked manager Liam Rosenior after just 106 days -- and there is now a decent chance they miss out on European football altogether.
The club had a chance to secure a Europa League spot by winning the FA Cup, but they were beaten 1-0 by Manchester City in last weekend's final. It means they must now qualify for Europe through the Premier League, but the competition has never before been so fierce in the final week of the season.
As it stands, sixth and seventh place would be allocated to the Europa League, while eighth place would earn a Conference League spot. As stated above, if Villa finish exactly fifth then sixth place would flip to a Champions League place, but seventh and eighth would be unaffected, and there is no scenario where ninth would earn a European spot.
The race for those European spots is firmly alive, too: Just seven points separate Bournemouth (fifth) and Newcastle United (11th).
It is worth keeping an extra eye on both Bournemouth and Brentford, who have both never qualified for European football before.
Crystal Palace could also earn a separate European spot by winning next week's Conference League final.
Shaun Brooks - CameraSport via Getty Images For two straight seasons, the three teams that came up from the Championship were sent straight back down the following season. This year, however, that won't happen. Newly promoted Leeds have enjoyed a superb run of late, meaning their place in next season's Premier League is safe.
Bottom-of-the-pack Wolves were officially relegated last month, and second-bottom Burnley joined the following week.
It means one more relegation spot looms, and West Ham are now most likely to be given it. However, Tottenham Hotspur's defeat to Chesea on Tuesday means they can still go down. It will take a Spurs defeat at home to Everton and a West Ham win at home to Leeds for that to happen. Otherwise, West Ham will be the third and final team to be relegated to the Championship.
LaLiga
Barcelona clinched their second straight LaLiga title on May 10 by winning 2-0 against their fierce rivals, Real Madrid, in the final Clasico of the season.
Barcelona clinched their second straight LaLiga title with three matches to spare. David Ramos/Getty Images Champions League: Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis All of the Champions League spots in Spain have been awarded. Rayo Vallecano's run to the Conference League final sealed a bonus fifth spot for Spain and Real Betis.
CONFIRMED: Real Sociedad
6. Celta Vigo (51, plus-4 goal differential)
7. Getafe (48, minus-6)
8. Rayo Vallecano (47, minus-6)
9. Valencia (46, minus-12)
10. Real Sociedad (45, minus-1)
By winning the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad automatically qualify for next year's Europa League.
Celta Vigo have essential confirmed their Europa League place as well. Getafe can seal a place in the Conference League qualifying rounds if they win their last match on Saturday vs. Osasuna -- otherwise, the door is open for the teams below them.
Rayo Vallecano have made the Conference League final, and winning that competition would guarantee a place in next season's Europa League, regardless of their league finish.
13. Sevilla (43, minus-13)
14. Alaves (43, minus-11)
15. Levante (42, minus-13)
16. Osasuna (42 points, minus-5)
17. Elche (42, minus-8)
18. Girona (40, minus-16)
19. Mallorca (39, minus-13)
20. Real Oviedo (29, minus-31)
It's absolute chaos at the bottom of the table. Girona, third-place finishers in LaLiga in 2023-24, are currently facing the drop, but they'll be taking on Elche (the team directly above them in the table) in a true relegation six-pointer on Saturday. Mallorca are also in the relegation zone, but they could yet drag themselves out of it with a win over last-place Real Oviedo.
One thing's for sure: This race will go down to the wire.
Bundesliga
Bayern Munich were crowned Bundesliga champions with a 4-2 win over Stuttgart on April 19. It was the second straight league title for the Rekordmeister and their 35th all time.
Harry Kane and Bayern Munich clinched the Bundesliga title on April 19. Ulrik Pedersen/NurPhoto via Getty Images Champions League: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart VfB Stuttgart's draw with Eintracht Frankfurt in the final matchweek, combined with TSG Hoffenheim's loss, meant that Stuttgart sealed the fourth and final Champions League place. Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen gain entry to the Europa League.
Freiburg have also made the Europa League final and will earn a spot in next year's Champions League if they claim the trophy.
16. Wolfsburg (26, minus-26)
17. St. Pauli (26, minus-29)
18. Heidenheim (26, minus-29)
The final weekend is sure to be a frenzied one in the relegation battle as well. The bottom three teams are tied on points and have similar goal differentials -- whoever finishes highest in the table will participate in the promotion/relegation playoff with the third-place finisher of the 2. Bundesliga, while the other teams will be automatically relegated.
Wolfsburg and St. Pauli will clash in a true relegation six-pointer. Wolfsburg are currently ahead of St. Pauli based on total goals scored, so St. Pauli must win to have any hope of staying in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Heidenheim must win against Mainz and hope for a draw in the Wolfsburg-St. Pauli match; otherwise, their only chance of safety is winning by a large enough margin to overtake the other two teams on goal differential.
Serie A
Inter Milan clinched the Serie A title with a 2-0 win over Parma on May 3. Their 21 titles keeps them in second behind only Juventus (36).
Lautaro Martinez (center) and Inter Milan celebrated the club's 21st Serie A title on May 3. Marco BERTORELLO / AFP via Getty Images Champions League: Napoli, AC Milan, Como, Juventus, AS Roma CONFIRMED: Inter Milan
The race for the top four is going down to the wire. Napoli are still leading the pack beneath Inter -- a draw or a win in their final match vs. Udinese will seal their Champions League place. AC Milan and Roma are currently in third and fourth, and they would clinch the Champions League with wins, as Como and Juventus trail them by two points.
Regardless of how everything turns out, it will have been a wonderful season for Como, who are two seasons removed from competing in Serie B.
17. Lecce (35, minus-23)
18. Cremonese (34, minus-22)
19. Hellas Verona (21, minus-34)
20. Pisa (18, minus-44)
The relegation fight has effectively whittled down to four teams. Two of the three teams going down have essentially been decided already -- Pisa and Hellas Verona -- but it figures to be a dramatic conclusion to the season for Lecce and Cremonese. If Cremonese better Lecce's result, they will avoid relegation -- their superior goal differential in head-to-head matches with Lecce this season would be the tiebreaker if they end up level on points.
Ligue 1
There are no prizes for guessing who is top of Ligue 1 this season. Paris Saint-Germain clinched the title after defeating Lens in a top-of-the-table clash.
Elsewhere, Lens and Lille were granted a place in next season's Champions League league phase, while fourth-place Lyon get admission to the Champions League qualification playoffs.
14. Le Havre (35, minus-12)
15. Auxerre (34, minus-10)
16. Nice (32, minus-23)
17. Nantes (23, minus-23)
18. Metz (17, minus-44)
Like the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 automatically relegates its bottom two finishers, with the 16th-placed side entering a playoff against the third-placed Ligue 2 side. It means Nice will face Saint-Étienne in a two-legged contest to decide who plays in the French top-flight next season.
OTHER LEAGUES
Cristiano Ronaldo is just 28 goals shy of his aim to reach 1,000 before he retires one day and now has another milestone: His first major trophy since winning the Italian Cup with Juventus in 2021.
After 20 straight league victories, his Al Nassr side looked set to steamroll to the title, but a defeat away to Al Qadsiah opened the door for Al Hilal. Al Nassr and Al Hilal met on May 12 and played out a 1-1 draw. Fast forward to this week, and Al Nassr clinched the title with a 4-1 win over Damac where Ronaldo scored twice.
The only trophy Ronaldo had previously won since his arrival in Saudi Arabia in December 2022 is the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, which is not recognized by FIFA.
Scottish football is dominated by two Glaswegian giants: Celtic and Rangers. They're archrivals, and between them, they have won every league title since Sir Alex Ferguson's Aberdeen in 1984-85. But, amid disastrous seasons at times in Glasgow, that almost changed this season.
Rangers began the season with Russell Martin as manager, but he was sacked in October after winning just one of their opening seven league games. Celtic went through their own reckoning as Brendan Rodgers, who began the season as manager, resigned later in October, leading to 74-year-old Martin O'Neill stepping in as caretaker manager. They hired Columbus Crew boss Wilfried Nancy in December, only to sack him 33 days later as he won just two of his six league matches.
Meanwhile, Hearts, who finished in the bottom half of the table last season, enjoyed a superb season. They led the Scottish top flight for most of the season and still led as they travelled to second-place Celtic on the final day of the season, needing only to avoid defeat.
It wasn't to be, though. Celtic pipped Hearts with goals in the 86th and 97th minute to earn a 3-1 win and lift the title. However, the game was marred by fan trouble at the end as Celtic fans stormed the pitch with two minutes to play, meaning the game could not be restarted.
