Tracking title races, relegation: How Barcelona can win LaLiga title vs. Real Madrid
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 5
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Premier League | LaLiga
Bundesliga | Serie A | Ligue 1
Other races to watch
Title contenders: Arsenal, Manchester City
As it stands, Arsenal are on course to lift their first Premier League title in 22 years. Manchester City had moved level on points with them after beating Burnley earlier this month, but Arsenal soon regained a six-point lead by winning twice before City played again.
A potentially decisive moment came on Monday as Pep Guardiola’s side could manage only a drama-filled 3-3 draw away to Everton, cutting the gap to five points, although they still have a game in hand.
City play Brentford on Saturday, just under 24 hours before Arsenal face West Ham United on Sunday.
In terms of permutations, the title race is still set to go down to the final day of the season should both teams win all of their remaining games.
Champions League race: Manchester United, Aston Villa, Liverpool
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 guaranteed themselves a top-five finish with a win over Liverpool last weekend. As it stands, Liverpool and Villa would join them, but Bournemouth’s surge up the table has them in sixth place and just six points behind.
There is another permutation to take note of, too: If Villa finish exactly fifth and win the Europa League, then whoever finishes sixth will also qualify for the Champions League. With Villa now in fifth and in the Europa League semifinals, it is not out of the question.
Europa League / Conference League hopefuls: Chelsea, Brentford, Everton, Fulham, Brighton, Sunderland, Newcastle United, AFC Bournemouth
With Chelsea falling well behind in the race to qualify for the Champions League — so much so they sacked manager Liam Rosenior after just 106 days — there is a decent chance they miss out on European football altogether.
Chelsea have fallen to ninth place after six successive defeats, and there are plenty of contenders in the middle of the table hoping to book a European trip next season. Just
Just five points separate sixth-place Bournemouth and 12th-place Sunderland with three games remaining.
Simply, any of the teams within this range could yet earn a Europa League place next season. Of those teams, Brentford and Bournemouth have never played in continental competition, while Brighton and Sunderland have played in Europe only once.
In terms of which places will be granted to which European competition, that depends on the outcome of various cup competitions. Chelsea would guarantee themselves a place in the Europa League should they win the FA Cup final against City on May 16.
Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace could also earn European spots by winning the Europa League or Conference League, respectively.
Relegation battle: Wolves (R), Burnley (R), West Ham United, Nottingham Forest, Tottenham Hotspur
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 in little doubt. Other teams cannot be so confident.
Bottom-of-the-pack Wolves were officially relegated last month, and second-bottom Burnley joined the following week.
The biggest story of the season, though, could be who finishes in the final relegation place. Tottenham Hotspur played in the Champions League round of 16 as recently as March, but they find themselves in a very precarious spot. However, after not winning a league game in 2026 until beating Wolves last week, Spurs managed to follow it up with a surprise win away at Aston Villa.
Meanwhile, in the case that both Spurs and West Ham win their remaining games, Nottingham Forest need just one win and a draw to mathematically ensure their survival.
Title contenders: Barcelona, Real Madrid
Barcelona’s stellar LaLiga campaign has earned them the rare opportunity to clinch the league title against their fierce rivals, Real Madrid. The Blaugrana boast an 11-point lead over Madrid, and with four matches left in the season, a win or a draw at the Spotify Camp Nou on Sunday (stream live at 3 p.m. ET on ESPN+) will see them crowned LaLiga champions for the second straight year.
Champions League race: Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis, Celta Vigo
Villarreal and Atlético Madrid are virtual locks for top-four places, with fourth-placed Atléti a fair distance ahead of Real Betis, but a fifth Champions League spot could be up for grabs. UEFA awards an extra Champions League place to the two nations whose clubs perform the best overall in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, using a formula that produces a coefficient score for each nation.
It’s far from a guarantee at this stage, with Germany threatening to overtake Spain (the performance of Bayern Munich in this year’s Champions League might end up playing a pivotal role), but Real Betis are in pole position for that potential fifth spot as things stand. They would seal fifth place with seven points from their final four matches, independent of other results, and would drop into the Europa League if Spain loses out to Germany. Celta Vigo trail by six points and would need to finish the season strong if they have any hope of catching Betis.
Europa League / Conference League hopefuls: Real Sociedad, Getafe, Osasuna, Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano
CONFIRMED: Real Sociedad
7. Getafe (44, minus-8 goal differential)
8. Athletic Club (44, minus-10)
9. Real Sociedad (43, minus-3)
10. Osasuna (42 points, minus-2)
11. Rayo Vallecano (42, minus-6)
By winning the Copa del Rey, Real Sociedad automatically qualify for next year’s Europa League — an important achievement given that they have fallen behind in the Champions League race.
Rayo Vallecano have made the semifinals of the Conference League, and winning that competition would guarantee a place in next season’s Europa League, regardless of their league finish.
Relegation battle: Valencia, Espanyol, Elche, Girona, Alaves, Mallorca, Sevilla, Levante, Real Oviedo
12. Valencia (39, minus-13)
13. Espanyol (39, minus-14)
14. Elche (38, minus-8)
15. Mallorca (38, minus-9)
16. Girona (38, minus-15)
17. Sevilla (37, minus-14)
18. Alavés (36, minus-13)
19. Levante (33, minus-17)
20. Real Oviedo (28, minus-28)
The jam-packed middle and bottom of the table means several of these teams are technically still in the race for Europe despite concerns about being dragged into the relegation battle with a few more poor results.
Could Sevilla, who won the Europa League three short years ago, or Girona, third-place finishers in LaLiga in 2023-24, actually face the drop? One thing’s for sure: This race will go down to the wire.
Champions: Bayern Munich
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.
Champions League race: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen
The top-four race remains highly competitive. Borussia Dortmund‘s Champions League spot is all but secured, but four teams are still in the running for the last two spots.
RB Leipzig are well-positioned despite seeing their five-match winning streak coming to an end. They would secure their place with one more wins in their final two matches, regardless of other results. For VfB Stuttgart, TSG Hoffenheim and Bayer Leverkusen, this could very well go down to the wire. Stuttgart and Leverkusen are set to clash in a pivotal matchup on Saturday.
There also remains a chance for Germany to secure a fifth Champions League place. That will be determined by how Bayern Munich and SC Freiburg perform in this year’s Champions League and Europa League, respectively, relative to Spanish clubs Atletico Madrid and Rayo Vallecano in their European ties.
As things stand, fifth place will gain entry to the Europa League, while sixth place will head to the Conference League. SC Freiburg are also still alive in the Europa League and will earn a spot in next year’s Champions League if they claim the trophy.
Relegation battle: St. Pauli, VfL Wolfsburg, Heidenheim
16. Wolfsburg (26, minus-25)
17. St. Pauli (26, minus-28)
18. Heidenheim (23, minus-31)
With two matches to play, the bottom three look fairly settled (there’s a five-point gap between St. Pauli and safety). But there’s still plenty to play for, as 16th place will participate in the promotion/relegation playoff with the third-place finisher of the 2. Bundesliga, while the bottom two teams will automatically be relegated.
Champions: Internazionale
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).
Champions League race: Napoli, AC Milan, Como, Juventus, AS Roma
Napoli‘s Champions League spot is all but secure, but Juventus, Como and Roma are hot on AC Milan‘s tails. One of the three latter teams will miss out on Europe’s top club competition. Milan must take at least seven points from their final three matches to guarantee a top-four place.
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.
Relegation battle: Cremonese, Lecce, Hellas Verona, Pisa
17. Lecce (29, minus-22)
18. Cremonese (28, minus-20)
19. Hellas Verona (18, minus-31)
20. Pisa (18, minus-32)
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.
Title contenders: Paris Saint-Germain, Lens
There are no prizes for guessing who is top of Ligue 1 this season. Paris Saint-Germain have won the past four French titles and are well-placed to win a fifth straight. A rare home defeat to Lyon earlier this month added intrigue, but PSG have since steamed ahead and look nailed on to lift the trophy.
However, PSG could only manage a draw against Lorient in their game in hand last weekend. Luis Enrique’s side will still clinch the title if they win their next two Ligue1 games — the second of which is an away clash with second-place Lens on May 13.
Elsewhere, the top three finishers will be granted a place in next season’s Champions League league phase, while fourth will get admission to the Champions League qualification playoffs. Lens, even if they miss out on the title, look likely to be playing in the league phase, while Marseille, Lyon, Stade Rennais, Lille and AS Monaco are jostling to claim the final two spots.
Relegation battle: Le Havre, Nice, Auxerre, Nantes, Metz (R)
14. Le Havre (32, minus-13)
15. Nice (31, minus-22)
16. Auxerre (28, minus-13)
17. Nantes (23, minus-22)
18. Metz (16, minus-40)
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. As it stands, Auxerre would be the team competing in the two-legged playoff.
OTHER LEAGUES
Saudi Pro League: Will Cristiano Ronaldo win first major title in five years?
Cristiano Ronaldo is just 30 goals shy of his aim to reach 1,000 before he retires one day. Before then, though, Ronaldo is ticking toward 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 has opened the door for Al Hilal. It means, with three games remaining, the title will likely come down to a crunch battle with second-place Al Hilal on May 12.
The only trophy Ronaldo has won since his arrival in Saudi Arabia in December 2022 is the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, which it is not recognized by FIFA.
Scottish Premiership: A heated three-way title race
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. That could be about to change this season, though, as both clubs have suffered disastrous spells at times.
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, have enjoyed a superb season. They have led the Scottish top flight for most of the season and still lead as it reaches its climax.
The Scottish Premiership is unique as it splits in half after 33 games, with the top of the table all playing each other once for the final five games of the season.
Hearts took one huge step toward the title by beating Rangers on Monday. They face Motherwell and Falkirk before a potential final-day decider away to second-place Celtic.
