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 15
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Premier League | LaLiga
Bundesliga | Serie A | Ligue 1
Other races to watch
Premier League
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 May 4 as Pep Guardiola's side could manage only a drama-filled 3-3 draw away to Everton, cutting the gap to five points. And after defeating Crystal Palace on Wednesday in their game in hand, the lead is down to two points with two matches to play.
Arsenal won't play until Monday when they host Burnley. The soonest they can clinch the Premier League is Tuesday, if City drop points against against Bournemouth (assuming Arsenal defeat Burnley). Otherwise, this will go down to the final day of the season.
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 on May 3, and Villa did the same with a 4-2 win over Liverpool on May 15. As it stands, Liverpool would join them, but Bournemouth's surge up the table has them in sixth place and just four points behind, with a game in hand.
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 facing Freiburg in the Europa League final, it is not out of the question.
Europa League / Conference League hopefuls: Chelsea, Brentford, Everton, Brighton, 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 seven straight matches without a win, and there are plenty of contenders in the middle of the table hoping to book a European trip next season.
The list of Europa League front-runners has narrowed a bit -- four points separate sixth-place Bournemouth and eighth-place Brentford, and with only two games remaining, it's unlikely any of the teams lower in the table can surpass them.
Bournemouth could confirm a place in Europe with a win against Manchester City on Tuesday, and if they win both of their final matches, they would be assured of a spot in the Europa League.
Any of the teams within this range could yet earn a European place next season. Of these teams, Brentford and Bournemouth have never played in continental competition, while Brighton 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.
Crystal Palace could also earn a European spot by winning the Conference League, and they have reached the final.
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 on April 25, Spurs managed to follow it up with a surprise win away at Aston Villa and a draw against Leeds.
Meanwhile, in the case that both Spurs and West Ham win their remaining games, Nottingham Forest need just one win to mathematically ensure their survival, and a draw would almost certainly suffice due to goal differential.
LaLiga
Champions: Barcelona
Barcelona clinched their second straight LaLiga title on May 10 by winning 2-0 against their fierce rivals, Real Madrid, in the final Clasico of the season.
Champions League: Real Madrid, Atlético Madrid, Villarreal, Real Betis
All of the Champions League spots in Spain have been awarded. Rayo Vallecano's run to the Conference League final sealed a bonus fifth spot for Spain and Real Betis.
Europa League / Conference League hopefuls: Celta Vigo, Real Sociedad, Getafe, Osasuna, Athletic Club, Rayo Vallecano, Valencia
CONFIRMED: Real Sociedad
6. Celta Vigo (50, plus-4 goal differential)
7. Getafe (48, minus-6)
8. Real Sociedad (45, minus-1)
9. Athletic Club (44, minus-13)
10. Rayo Vallecano (43, minus-6)
11. Valencia (43, minus-12)
12. Sevilla (43, minus-12)
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 Conference League final, and winning that competition would guarantee a place in next season's Europa League, regardless of their league finish.
Relegation battle: Espanyol, Elche, Girona, Alaves, Mallorca, Sevilla, Levante, Real Oviedo
13. Osasuna (42 points, minus-4)
14. Elche (39, minus-9)
15. Mallorca (39, minus-9)
16. Levante (39, minus-15)
17. Espanyol (39, minus-15)
18. Girona (39, minus-15)
19. Alavés (37, minus-13)
20. Real Oviedo (28, minus-28)
It's absolute chaos in the jam-packed middle and bottom of the table. Some 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 Espanyol, partially owned by former NFL star JJ Watt, 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.
Bundesliga
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: Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, VfB Stuttgart, TSG Hoffenheim, Bayer Leverkusen
CONFIRMED: Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig
The dream of a fifth Champions League place for Germany has vanished, but the top-four race remains highly competitive. RB Leipzig joined Bayern and Borussia Dortmund as confirmed Champions League teams, but three teams are still in the running for the final spot.
VfB Stuttgart's massive win over Bayer Leverkusen on Saturday allowed them to keep pace with TSG Hoffenheim, and this race will go to the final weekend. If Hoffenheim betters Stuttgart's result in the last match of the season, they will take fourth place; otherwise, it'll be Stuttgart in the Champions League.
Fifth place will gain entry to the Europa League, while sixth place will head to the Conference League. Freiburg have also made the Europa League final 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-26)
17. St. Pauli (26, minus-29)
18. Heidenheim (26, minus-29)
The final weekend is sure to be a frenzied one in the relegation battle as well. The bottom three teams are tied on points and have similar goal differentials -- whoever finishes highest in the table will participate in the promotion/relegation playoff with the third-place finisher of the 2. Bundesliga, while the other teams will be automatically relegated.
Wolfsburg and St. Pauli will clash in a true relegation six-pointer. Wolfsburg are currently ahead of St. Pauli based on total goals scored, so St. Pauli must win to have any hope of staying in the Bundesliga. Meanwhile, Heidenheim must win against Mainz and hope for a draw in the Wolfsburg-St. Pauli match; otherwise, their only chance of safety is winning by a large enough margin to overtake the other two teams on goal differential.
Serie A
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: Napoli, AC Milan, Como, Juventus, AS Roma
CONFIRMED: Inter Milan
Napoli's stumble against Bologna has placed their Champions League spot in a bit of jeopardy, as Juventus, Como and Roma were already hot on AC Milan's tails in third. Napoli must take four points from their final two matches if they want to guarantee Champions League football.
Otherwise, it looks as though the race for fourth will go down to the wire. Juventus can lock in a top-four spot if they win their remaining matches.
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 (32, minus-24)
18. Cremonese (31, minus-23)
19. Hellas Verona (20, minus-34)
20. Pisa (18, minus-41)
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.
Ligue 1
Champions: Paris Saint-Germain
There are no prizes for guessing who is top of Ligue 1 this season. Paris Saint-Germain clinched the title after defeating Lens in a top-of-the-table clash.
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 will play in the league phase, while Lyon, Stade Rennais, Lille are jostling to claim the final two spots.
Relegation battle: Le Havre, Nice, Auxerre, Nantes (R), Metz (R)
14. Le Havre (32, minus-14)
15. Auxerre (31, minus-12)
16. Nice (31, minus-23)
17. Nantes (23, minus-23)
18. Metz (16, minus-44)
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, Nice 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 opened the door for Al Hilal. Al Nassr and Al Hilal met on May 12 and played out a 1-1 draw. The result means that Al Nassr could clinch the title as soon as Saturday, if Al Hilal drop points in their game in hand. Otherwise, a win for Al Nassr in their final match will seal the deal.
The only trophy Ronaldo has won since his arrival in Saudi Arabia in December 2022 is the 2023 Arab Club Champions Cup, which is not recognized by FIFA.
Scottish Premiership: Hearts vs. Celtic for the title
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 May 4, but they now face a potential final-day decider away to second-place Celtic. A draw or a win would see Hearts claim their first Scottish championship since 1960, but a loss would hand the trophy to Celtic.
