Arsenal crowned Premier League champions as Man Utd below Liverpool in predicted table

Will Arsenal finally get their hands on the Premier League trophy? ( Image: James Gill - Danehouse/Getty Images)

The final 2025/26 Premier League standings have been simulated - in what is good news for Arsenal fans. Heading into Christmas it is still all to play for after 16 games, but at this early stage the Gunners have staked their claim for the title.

Following closely behind are challengers Manchester City and Aston Villa , who at worst will be hopeful of securing Champions League qualification via the top-four. Also in the running for European football look to be Chelsea , Manchester United , reigning champions Liverpool - who have been off the pace, and Sunderland.

At the opposite end of the table, Wolves and West Ham have endured tough starts to the new campaign, and could become the first existing Premier League clubs in three seasons to drop down. Also in the scrap are Burnley, Leeds United and Nottingham Forest.

1 of 20 20th - Wolves A genuine "nightmare" season. They are currently winless (0–2–14) and rooted to the bottom. New manager Rob Edwards faces a monumental task to overturn a -26 goal difference.

2 of 20 19th - Burnley Like many newly-promoted sides in recent seasons, Scott Parker’s side have found the jump in quality difficult, managing only three wins so far as they struggle to keep clean sheets.

3 of 20 18th - West Ham A disastrous season so far. Graham Potter was sacked in September, and Nuno Espirito Santo is currently struggling to pull the Hammers out of the relegation zone.

4 of 20 17th - Leeds United Another newly-promoted side who is fighting hard, using an imposing physical style to stay just outside the bottom three, or so the prediction says will happen...

5 of 20 16th - Nottingham Forest A chaotic start saw Nuno Espirito Santo sacked, his successor Ange Postecoglou also got the boot after just weeks in charge, and now Sean Dyche has been brought in to do what he does best: grind out the results needed to stay up.

6 of 20 15th - Fulham Under Marco Silva, Fulham have continued to be the "entertainers" of the mid-table. They have been involved in some of the season's most chaotic matches, including a 4–5 loss to Manchester City earlier this month.

7 of 20 14th - Brentford It has been a season of significant transition for the Bees. After seven years, legendary manager Thomas Frank departed for Tottenham in June and was replaced by former assistant Keith Andrews, but the club has kept on fighting despite pre-season chatter of relegation.

8 of 20 13th - Bournemouth Despite selling key defenders Dean Huijsen and Illia Zabarnyi, Andoni Iraola has kept the Cherries competitive with a high-pressing system that recently claimed a major scalp against Spurs.

9 of 20 12th - Sunderland The surprise package of the season. Returning to the top flight after eight years, the Black Cats have been remarkably resilient, specializing in late drama with a league-high five goals scored in stoppage time.

10 of 20 11th - Tottenham Hotspur It’s been a bumpy road for Thomas Frank in his first season at Spurs. After replacing Ange Postecoglou, Frank has struggled to balance Europa League demands with domestic form, leaving Spurs in an uncharacteristic 11th place.

11 of 20 10th - Everton Under the guidance of David Moyes, the Toffees have moved away from relegation scraps and into a comfortable top-half position, though they struggle for consistency against the elite.

12 of 20 9th - Brighton Fabian Hurzeler’s side remains tactically brave and entertaining, though they've dropped points in games they dominated.

13 of 20 8th - Newcastle United Limited summer spending has led to a sense of 'staleness'. They remain tough to beat at St. James' Park but have regressed significantly from the form that helped achieve Champions League qualification last season.

14 of 20 7th - Manchester United Now under Ruben Amorim, United are showing signs of life after a "historically bad" 2024/25. While their defense is still leaky (26 conceded), their attack is much more fluid with Bryan Mbeumo and Mason Mount finding rhythm.

15 of 20 6th - Crystal Palace Following their FA Cup win last season, Palace have maintained incredible momentum. Despite a tough schedule, Oliver Glasner has them playing high-intensity football that has them sitting above several giants.

16 of 20 5th - Chelsea Under Enzo Maresca, Chelsea have finally stabilized. They’ve adopted a possession-heavy style and found a spark in Joao Pedro. But, it might be just too little to reach the Champions League next season...

17 of 20 4th - Liverpool It has been a difficult "sophomore" season for Arne Slot. After a brilliant title-winning campaign last year, the defending champions have struggled with mega-money signings Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz bedding in, plus injuries. A recent dip that saw them lose five out of six games in late autumn.

18 of 20 3rd - Aston Villa Unai Emery has transformed Villa from "best of the rest" into genuine title threats. After failing to win in their first five matches, they've turned things around and sit just three points off the top, proving their staying power.

19 of 20 2nd - Manchester City Despite a rocky start that saw Pep Guardiola endure his worst-ever opening month, City have surged back. Erling Haaland remains inevitable with 17 Premier League goals already, though the team has looked more defensively vulnerable than in previous years (e.g., that wild 5–4 win over Fulham).

20 of 20 1st - Arsenal The current leaders have been the model of consistency. Mikel Arteta’s side boasts the league's best defence (only 10 goals conceded) and an 11-game unbeaten run earlier this term. With new signings Viktor Gyokeres, Eberechi Eze and Noni Madueke helping to add the clinical edge they lacked last season, they look like the team to beat.