Ups, downs and the race for Europe

Ipswich clinched an instant return to the Premier League on the final day of the Championship season

BBC Sport outlines the promotion and relegation issues - and the race for European qualification - in England and Scotland for 2025-26.

10 May - Hearts and Celtic qualify for Champions League

10 May - Rochdale promoted to League Two

9 May - Arsenal qualify for Women's Champions League

9 May - Kidderminster Harriers and Hornchurch promoted to National League

9 May - Airdrieonians relegated to Scottish League One

6 May - Manchester City win Women's Super League title

Burnley were condemned to an immediate return to the Championship with four Premier League games remaining

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 and Manchester United 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 Aston Villa.

Should Villa win the Europa League and finish 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. If Villa win the Europa League and finish sixth, the Conference League place is forfeited.

Ordinarily, 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.

Because Manchester City have qualified for the Champions League, their Conference League play-off round place earned as Carabao Cup final winners reverts to the league.

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

The goals that helped crown Man City as WSL champions

Manchester City clinched the WSL title when rivals Arsenal could only draw 1-1 with Brighton on 6 May.

The WSL champions and runners-up will enter the league phase of the Women's Champions League, with the third-placed side entering in the third round. Second and third place is between Arsenal and Chelsea, and will be decided on the final day of the season (16 May). Realistically, Arsenal will finish second unless they lose and Chelsea win.

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.

Coventry were promoted to the Premier League with three games to spare, and received the trophy at their final home match

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.