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
22 April – Burnley relegated to Championship
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22 April – Port Vale relegated to League Two
21 April – Coventry City clinch Championship title
21 April – Leicester City relegated to League One
21 April – Lincoln City clinch League One title
21 April – St Johnstone promoted to Scottish Premiership
Premier League
Burnley were condemned to an immediate return to the Championship with four Premier League games remaining [Reuters]
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 and Manchester City 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.
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However, there is a place in the league phase of the Champions League reserved for the Europa League winners – which could be Aston Villa or Nottingham Forest.
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.
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If Crystal Palace win the Conference League but fail to reach the Champions 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.
Women’s Super League
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.
Manchester City are already assured of a Champions League place, and require a maximum of five points from their last three games to win the title.
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If Arsenal win the Champions League but finish outside the top three, they will qualify for the league phase.
The bottom-placed WSL team will face a play-off against the third-placed WSL 2 team. With the WSL expanding to 14 teams for 2026-27, the top two teams in WSL 2 will earn automatic promotion.
Championship
Coventry have secured a return to the Premier League after 25 years [PA Media]
The top two teams will be automatically promoted to the Premier League, with the next four entering a play-off. 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.
Ipswich and Millwall are assured of at least a play-off place.
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The bottom three teams will be relegated to League One. Having suffered two points deductions, Sheffield Wednesday‘s relegation 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. Oxford United will be the third relegated team unless they win their last two games and Charlton lose theirs.
League One
Lincoln clinched promotion on Easter Monday with five games to spare [PA Media]
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.
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The next four teams will enter a play-off for the last promotion place.
The bottom four teams will be 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.
League Two
Bromley have clinched promotion in only their second season as an EFL club [PA Media]
The top three teams will be automatically promoted to League One, with the next four entering a play-off.
Leaders Bromley clinched promotion without kicking a ball on 18 April after Notts County lost 2-1 to Barnet. Milton Keynes Dons and Salford City are assured of at least a play-off place.
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The bottom two teams will be relegated to the National League.
National League
The champions – York or Rochdale – will be automatically promoted to League Two. Those two teams meet on the final day of the season, but Rochdale must win to take the title from York.
The runners-up will enter a play-off with Carlisle, Boreham Wood, Scunthorpe, Southend and Forest Green.
The bottom four teams are relegated to National League North or South, and will be replaced by the champions and play-off winners of those two divisions.
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.
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Scottish Premiership
The Premiership has split in half after 33 games, with each club playing the others in their ‘half’ for a fourth and final time.
Hearts, Rangers, Celtic, Motherwell, Hibernian and Falkirk will play in the top half, with Livingston, Kilmarnock, St Mirren, Aberdeen, Dundee and Dundee United in the bottom half.
The champions will enter the Champions League play-off round, with the runners-up entering in the second qualifying round.
The third and fourth-placed Premiership teams will enter the Conference League at the second qualifying round.
If Celtic win the Scottish Cup and finish third or below, they will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying round.
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If Celtic win the Scottish Cup and finish in the top two, their Europa place goes to the third-placed team, with the fourth and fifth-placed teams entering the Conference League.
The Premiership’s bottom club will be relegated to the Scottish Championship, while the 11th-placed team will enter a play-off with three Championship sides.
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, Arbroath and Dunfermline Athletic will enter a play-off with the 11th-placed Premiership team.
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If Dunfermline win the Scottish Cup, they will enter the Europa League in the third qualifying round.
The bottom club will be relegated to Scottish League One, while the ninth-placed team will enter a play-off with three League One sides.
Scottish League One
The champions – Inverness Caledonian Thistle or Stenhousemuir – will be automatically promoted to the Scottish Championship.
The runners-up, Alloa Athletic and Queen of the South will enter a play-off with the ninth-placed Championship side.
The bottom club – Kelty Hearts or Hamilton Academical – will be relegated to League Two, while the ninth-placed team will enter a play-off with three League Two teams.
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Scottish League Two
The champions – East Kilbride or The Spartans – will be automatically promoted to Scottish League One, with the runners-up, Clyde and one other team entering a play-off with the ninth-placed League One side.
After finishing bottom, Edinburgh City will enter a two-legged play-off against Highland League champions Brora Rangers on 9 and 16 May. The winners will take the final place in League Two for 2026-27.
Lowland League winners Linlithgow Rose were ineligible to compete in the play-off after failing to be awarded a bronze SPFL licence.
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