The Premier League title and relegation fights might be dominating the headlines, but the race for Europe is proving to be an equally chaotic and enthralling battle this season.

Heading into the final day, nine teams still remain hopeful of securing a place in European competitions, with four spots still up for grabs across the three UEFA competitions. Four teams have already guaranteed a top-five finish and thus Champions League football, with Liverpool currently in pole position for the fifth spot.

Bournemouth, Brighton, Brentford, Sunderland, Chelsea, Newcastle, Everton, and mathematically speaking, Fulham, will all enter the final weekend with a chance of securing some sort of European football, making the fight go down to the wire.

The permutations might be complex, but the objective for all nine contenders will be simple on May 24 - win their final game no matter what. The penultimate set of Premier League fixtures has delivered more drama, further complicating European qualification.

Seventh-placed Brighton could have guaranteed a European spot with a win at Leeds United, but Dominic Calvert-Lewin's late winner for Leeds severely dented their chances. Brentford missed an opportunity to move above Brighton after a 2-2 draw against Crystal Palace to stay eighth. Sunderland pulled themselves back into contention with a 3-1 victory against Everton, leapfrogging them into ninth. Newcastle kept their hopes alive with a 3-1 win against West Ham, moving level on points with Chelsea in 10th.

Fulham, in 13th, drew 1-1 with bottom-side Wolves. While mathematically they can still finish eighth and secure European football, their realistic chances are over given the required goal difference swing.

Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Aston Villa have already secured their passage to the 2026-27 Champions League. The Premier League has claimed a fifth spot in Europe's premier club competition through UEFA's European Performance Spots (EPS), with Liverpool currently sitting fifth on 59 points. However, the Reds are not yet mathematically guaranteed a place in the competition. Sixth-placed Bournemouth are only four points behind and have a game in hand against title-chasing Manchester City.

Brighton, who face Manchester United, and Chelsea retain an outside chance of qualifying for the Champions League in sixth. Brentford could still finish in sixth but only by beating Liverpool, which would keep Villa fourth and close off the extra Champions League route.