While Arsenal lifted the Premier League title for the first time in 22 years, it was one of many stories making waves across Europe as, for many, the seasons conclude ahead of the 2026 World Cup .
Who else has been crowned domestic champions? Which clubs have qualified for next season's Champions League? And any surprise teams heading out their top flight?
Here's a round-up of Europe's top three leagues and beyond.
Spain
Hansi Flick led Barcelona to a 29th La Liga title, and their first back-to-back success since 2018/2019.
A statement title, they secured 94 points, their highest tally since obtaining the same points record back in 2015 under Messi's magnificence. They also made history by winning all 19 of their home matches - the first time this has EVER happened in La Liga's history.
That's all folks. pic.twitter.com/AoXw6hPnfK
— FC Barcelona (@FCBarcelona) May 24, 2026
Their famous rivals Real Madrid endured a chaotic season, with constant reports of dressing room unrest amongst their stars. The team seemingly forced Xabi Alonso out the door six months into his new job, winning 24 of his 34 games in charge, not enough to keep owner Florentino Perez happy.
The side still comfortably secured second place, while Kylian Mbappe topped the league's goal-scoring charts with 25 goals. However, defeats to the likes of Osasuna, Mallorca and Getafe throughout the season, plus a Copa del Rey loss to second division Albacete, cast a cloud over the revamped Santiago Bernabeu.
Villarreal rise
Champions League semi-finalists Atletico Madrid finished in 4th, just the second time since 2012 they have not finished in the top three. Villarreal instead took 3rd spot, managed by Marcelino, who guided them to their highest La Liga finish in 13 years.
Manuel Pellegrini's improving Real Betis side took the final Champions League spot, taking advantage of Spain having five clubs in the 2026/27 edition. Their joint highest finish in 21 years, with former Premier League players Antony (Man United) and Pablo Fornals (West Ham) involved in the goals. It will be their first CL campaign since 2005/06, an edition where they met both Liverpool and Chelsea.
Celta Vigo and Real Sociedad both qualified for the Europa League, the latter obtaining their spot by winning the Spanish Cup. Their penalty shootout final victory over Atletico Madrid secured their first silverware for six years.
Low scoring Getafe
Getafe edged both Rayo Vallecano and Valencia to the sole Conference League spot, causing pitch invasion-style celebrations. Their success came with some bizarre stats, scoring just 32 goals all season, the second lowest in the league. In fact, they only scored more than two goals in a single match on just one occasion.
An insane relegation battle ended with just two points separating 13th place to 19th. Mallorca were the unluckiest, the island team relegated in 18th due to their head-to-head record against Levante and Osasuna, both of whom just survived.
Girona, who famously played the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal in the 2024/25 Champions League, were also relegated to the second tier. Newly promoted Real Oviedo finished rock bottom, scoring 26 goals, with just nine of those coming at home.
Italy
A crazy final day in Serie A left many outcomes to be resolved - apart from one - with Inter Milan having already claimed their 21st Italian title comfortably.
New manager Christian Chivu, who had mostly managed at Inter's youth level, led the team to 27 wins, and a second title in three seasons.
2025 champions Napoli secured second spot, although manager Antonio Conte stepped down from his role immediately after the final game, citing a 'toxic environment'. Rasmus Hojlund, on loan from Manchester United, was the club's top scorer. Roma also returned to the Champions League seven years after their last appearance. 19 points from their final seven games got them across the line, including a win over city rivals Lazio.
Como history
The story of the season came in the form of Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas. They beat 36-time Italian champions Juventus to 4th spot, securing Champions League football for the first time in their history. Amazingly, just seven years ago, the team were playing in Italy's fourth tier Serie D.
Beating Juventus, Roma and Lazio at home, they also achieved their feat with just one Italian player who featured in this league campaign - for a total of just 60 seconds.
Struggling giants
For the first time since 1992, both of Italy's traditional powerhouses, AC Milan and Juventus, will not feature in the 2026/27 Champions League.
Fallen giants Juventus faced another underwhelming season, starting the season under Igor Tudor (Spurs fans shudder now). Luciano Spalletti, most recently Italy manager during Euro 2024, was also unable to get the tune required from the squad. A final day draw with city rivals Torino meant they missed out on Champions League football, and even finished below AC Milan in 6th.
Massimiliano Allegri's AC Milan side suffered seven defeats in their final 13 games to blow their top four chances, a run that saw Allegri sacked from his position just a few days ago, less a year since taking charge. They return to the Europa League for the first time since their 2024 Quarter Final elimination to Roma.
Atalanta secured the final European spot in the form of the Conference League, helped by a stern defensive record, despite going through three managers over the course of the season.
No home joy for Pisa
Pisa's return to Serie A ended in misery, winning just two matches all season, both at home. They also set an unwanted new record of scoring the fewest home goals in a Serie A season, with just nine goals seen in front of their own fans (Three of the came in them same game!). Hellas Verona finished just a couple of points above in 19th.
Newly promoted Cremonese took the battle for survival to the final day, helped throughout the season by Jamie Vardy's seven goals. Relegation was confirmed in a chaotic finale, receiving three red cards in their 4-1 home loss to Como. In hindsight, even a win would not have kept them afloat, as the side above them, Lecce, secured survival by beating Genoa 1-0.
Bundesliga
No surprises at the top, as Vincent Kompany led Bayern Munich to a 34th Bundesliga title, arguably their most dominant in history.
This campaign will go down in the record books, as Bayern ended their own 50+ year old Bundesliga goals record, by scoring 122 times in their 34 league games. That includes scoring 4+ goals on eight occasions, the most convincing of those being an 8-1 victory over Wolfsburg. The front three alone of Harry Kane, Michael Olise and Luis Diaz bagged 66 goals between them.
🚨 MILLENNIUM RECORD BROKEN! 🇩🇪🧱
— 365Scores (@365Scores) May 16, 2026
Bayern Munich have made history, scoring 122 goals in the 2025/26 season to break Real Madrid’s all-time record for a single campaign in Europe's top five leagues! 🏟️📈
Even more impressive? Bayern snatched the record in just 34 matches, while… pic.twitter.com/8GYtu4X6YH
Borussia Dortmund finished runners-up, a position they held since the start of the year, for the first time since 2022/23. They obtained their fifth-highest points tally in their Bundesliga history, and also ended the season conceding 34 goals, the fewest in the entire league.
RB Leipzig also secured a return to Champions League football after missing out last season following a 7th place finish. New manager Ole Werner guided them to 3rd spot, the majority of their points coming at their home, Red Bull Arena.
Exciting Stuttgart
The final Champions League spot went to Stuttgart, who pipped Hoffenheim to 4th place by one point after a final day draw at Frankfurt. Their attacking style saw them score 71 goals, the second highest in the league. Hoffenheim's 4-0 drubbing at Monchengladbach on the final day condemned them to Europa League football next season. The team were in 3rd spot as recently as the end of March, although they won just three of their final nine games.
Bayer Leverkusen's jittery season saw them finish in 6th place, after starting the campaign with Erik ten Hag in charge. The former Manchester United man was sacked just two games into the season after picking up one point, replaced by Kasper Hjulmand. The 54-year-old is more widely known for taking Denmark to the semi-finals of Euro 2020, as well as the last 16 at Euro 2024. He steadied the ship, although five winless games in March left them falling just short of a top four finish.
Beaten Europa League finalists SC Freiburg secured a Conference League spot in 7th place.
Wolfsburg's downfall
At the bottom, St Pauli's two-year stay in the top flight ended with a 3-1 home loss to a Wolfsburg side tied on points with them heading into the final day. Both sides, however, will meet again next season in the second tier, after Wolfsburg's 2-1 playoff loss to Paderborn saw them also relegated. It ends a 29-year stay in the Bundesliga, including a 2009 title-winning campaign.
Heidenheim also faced the drop after losing 2-0 to Mainz. The team, hailing from a city with a population of just 50,000, dramatically drew 3-3 away to Bayern Munich just a few weeks back.
Lens on a charge
RC Lens secured Champions League group stage football for just the second time in the last 20 years, having pushed PSG in Ligue 1's title race.
Leading the table at the halfway stage, helped by winning 11 games out of 12 mid-season, the Northern French side looked as though they could prevent the Parisian's winning a 5th straight title.
However, a dip in form, with three wins from 10 towards the end of the season, concluded in a runner-up finish. Lens added to a strong campaign by lifting the French Cup for the first time in their history, beating Nice 3-1 in the final.
All-attacking NEC
In the Dutch Eredivisie, NEC Nijmegen made history by qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time. And did so as the league's pure entertainers.
Beating Ajax and Twente to third spot, it was their highest ever top flight finish, beating their previous record of 4th place, set back in 1954. Manager Dick Schreuder's attacking 3-4-3 formation, often turning into a 1-6-3, left the team averaging almost four goals a game over the course of the season.
De nummer 𝟑 van Nederland! 😮💨#NECGAE 2-1 pic.twitter.com/KyQpfsq8B6
— N.E.C. Nijmegen (@necnijmegen) May 18, 2026
Only champions PSV scored more than NEC's 77 goal tall. However, they conceded the most number of goals in the top half, and just two less than relegated Volendam.
Fairytale Thun
FC Thun, hailing from a town in Switzerland with around 45,000 inhabitants, have achieved a rare fate in football.
After winning promotion back to the top flight a year ago, five years after their relegation, they have been crowned Swiss champions for the first time in their history. Led by former player, and previous Switzerland Under-21 manager Mauro Lustrinelli, Thun won the title with 24 wins from 38 games.
FC Thun lifted their first-ever Swiss League title in front of their home fans… on the day they lost 8-3 to 6th place Young Boys 😳🏆💀
— OneFootball (@OneFootball) May 15, 2026
Just one year after promotion from the Swiss Challenge League, Thun have completed one of the most unbelievable title-winning seasons in… pic.twitter.com/vW3JHyTF1f
Their success has not been money-driven, somewhat reminiscent of Leicester City's famous 2016 Premier League title. An effective, direct style with a well-drilled team, has guided a side with the seventh-highest squad cost in the Super League, to an historic title victory.
