The Premier League could have NINE clubs playing in European competitions next season 

Just under half of the Premier League could be playing European football next season depending on how the rest of the current campaign plays out.

With the season approaching it’s climax is still a big question over which clubs will qualify for the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.

As well as that, Manchester City, Liverpool, West Ham and Leicester all have a chance of European glory in the coming weeks.  

Just under half of the Premier League could be competing in European competitions next year

It comes as four English teams are still in with a shout of European glory in the current season

Traditionally, seven clubs qualify for European competitions the following season, however, there could be as many as nine who play mid-week football in the 2022-23 season.

It would take a remarkable set of results, which largely rely on West Ham and Leicester.

Should West Ham win the Europa League, they will automatically qualify for next season’s Champions League no matter where they finish in the Premier League, joining the top-four sides.

West Ham could qualify for the Champions League should they win the Europa League

Likewise, Leicester could qualify for the Europa League if they win the Europa Conference

The Hammers and Foxes could open the door for nine sides if they finish below seventh

Meanwhile, should Leicester win the Europa Conference League, they could join two other teams in next season’s Europa League.

Traditionally, there are seven spots on offer to English sides in European competitions.

This includes the top-four going into the Champions League, fifth place and the FA Cup winners entering the Europa League and the team that lifts the Carabao Cup going into the playoffs for the Europa Conference League.

However, with Liverpool winning the Carabao Cup and either the Reds or Chelsea set to claim the FA Cup, that changes things in terms of European qualification – as long as the Blues finish in the top-four as expected.

It means that the team who finish sixth will qualify for the Europa League and being replaced by the team that sit in seventh.

However, for nine teams to qualify for Europe, both West Ham and Leicester will have to win their respective trophies and not finish in the top seven. 

There is still a chance that Manchester United might not play European football next season

There also remains a small chance that no English team could play in the Europa Conference League next season.

For that to happen, Leicester would have to win the competition and finish in seventh – although that currently would seem unlikely, as they are ten points behind West Ham who currently occupy that position.

The best chance of nine teams making Europe would be for West Ham and Leicester to win their respective European competitions, only for the Hammers to drop behind Wolves in the league – who are only three points behind with a game in hand.  

Manchester United meanwhile are at risk of not playing in Europe for the first time since 1990, if they don’t finish inside the top seven.

Manchester City have one foot in the Champions League final after their 4-3 victory over Real Madrid.

Liverpool play their first leg against Villarreal on Wednesday, while West Ham and Leicester have their respective semi-finals against Eintracht Frankfurt and Roma kick-off on Thursday. 

The last time that there were nine clubs in Europe from the Premier League was back in the 2008-09 season.

Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool all made the Champions League after finishing in the top-four the season prior.

Everton qualified for the UEFA Cup, before it was renamed the Europa League by finishing in fifth.

They were joined by FA Cup winners Portsmouth, League Cup winners Tottenham and Manchester City who qualified through the UEFA Fair Play ranking.

Aston Villa finished in sixth, but had to qualify for the UEFA Cup through the now defunct Intertoto Cup.