Arsenal and Barcelona Win Premier League and La Liga Titles, but Real Madrid Miss Out on Championship and Juventus on Champions League
The final results are in for Europe's top leagues. Atletico Madrid suffered a heavy 1-5 defeat to Villarreal, finishing 4th, while AC Milan and Juventus sensationally missed out on the Champions League spots in Serie A.
Europe's Top Leagues Roundup: Arsenal and Barcelona Celebrate, Real Madrid, AC Milan, and Juventus in Crisis
Date: May 24-25, 2026
Competitions: English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Italian Serie A
Status: 2025/2026 season concluded
Main Event
Over the past weekend, May 24-25, 2026, Europe's top football leagues came to a close. The season, which delivered drama in England and predictability in Spain, ended with triumphs for Arsenal and Barcelona and a crushing failure for giants in Italy.
Arsenal became champions of England for the first time in 22 years, securing the title early in the 37th round thanks to a 1-0 win over Burnley and Manchester City's 1-1 draw with Bournemouth. Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 2-0 in the El Clasico on May 10 and clinched the Spanish title with 91 points, three games to spare.
The climax of the Italian season was a shock: Cesc Fabregas's Como broke into the Serie A top four, knocking out AC Milan and Juventus, who finished fifth and sixth respectively.
Details and Statistics
Premier League: Arsenal's Return
Mikel Arteta's Arsenal finished top with 82 points. Manchester City came second with 78 points, losing the title in the 37th round.
"This is our 14th title, and it might be the sweetest in history," said Arsenal fans, who even received congratulations from UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer: "22 long years for Arsenal. But finally, we're back where we belong. Champions!"
La Liga: El Clasico Decided It All
In the 35th round, Barcelona thrashed Real Madrid 2-0 at Camp Nou. Goals were scored by Marcus Rashford (9th minute) and Ferran Torres (18th minute). This was Barcelona's 29th league title, while Real Madrid have 36.
Real Madrid ended the season without a single trophy: they were eliminated in the Copa del Rey Round of 16, lost the Supercopa final to Barcelona (2-3), and were knocked out by Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals. Los Blancos finished a staggering 14 points behind Barcelona in the league.
Atletico Madrid finished 4th but ended the season with a heavy 1-5 defeat to Villarreal.
Serie A: Farce in Milan and Turin
The biggest story unfolded in Italy, where the Champions League zone became a disaster zone for the giants.
AC Milan went into the 38th round in third place. They only needed to avoid defeat at home to Cagliari to stay in the top four. But the Rossoneri sensationally lost 1-2: an early goal from Saelemaekers in the 2nd minute was not enough to save them from goals by Borelli and Rodriguez. Meanwhile, Como thrashed Cremonese 4-1, and Roma beat Verona 2-0.
As a result, the table was turned upside down:
- Inter — champions (clinched earlier)
- Napoli
- Roma (73 points, leap to 3rd)
- Como (71 points, historic Champions League qualification)
- AC Milan (70 points)
- Juventus (68 points)
The Turin derby between Juventus and Torino was delayed by an hour due to fan unrest. A brace from Dusan Vlahovic (24th and 54th minutes) gave Juventus a 2-2 draw, but even a win would not have saved them from dropping out of the top four.
AC Milan and Juventus are without a place in the top European competition for the first time in years, heading to the Europa League.
Context and Significance
Arsenal's victory ended Manchester City's dominance, who had won the Premier League four seasons in a row. For the Gunners, this title is their first since the legendary Invincibles season of 2003/04.
In Spain, Barcelona confirmed their return to the top after the financial troubles of the early decade. Notably, the Blaugrana won the title for the first time in history by beating Real Madrid in El Clasico.
In Italy, a real revolution took place. Como, who were playing in the fourth division just a few years ago, thanks to the coaching genius of Cesc Fabregas, have made it to the Champions League. AC Milan's failure led to the immediate dismissal of coach Massimiliano Allegri and the entire club management.
What's Next
The season is over. Clubs are now preparing for the summer transfer window and pre-season training.
Arsenal and Barcelona will be seeded in Pot 1 for the 2026/27 Champions League group stage draw.
Como will play in the top European competition for the first time in their 119-year history. AC Milan and Juventus begin rebuilding: the former has already sacked their coach, the latter will likely follow suit.
Real Madrid, left without titles, face a major transfer campaign in the summer of 2026.
Editor's Prediction
Omitted, as all tournaments are concluded, the season is over, and predictions for future matches or transfers are beyond the scope of this topic.
— Editorial Team
