With Arsenal having already sealed their position as the official 2025/2026 Premier League winners, one might have a sense that gameweek 38 will be nothing but a dead-rubber affair.

However, there is still plenty at stake for most of the other 19 teams in the division, with UEFA Champions League spots and relegation survival on the line. 

With all ten fixtures kicking off simultaneously at 4 p.m. local time, clubs up and down the standings are fighting for millions in prize money and tangible competitive futures. 

While four of the five Champions League places are mathematically locked in, and two of the three relegation spots have been claimed, a series of high-stakes matches will dictate who survives the drop and who secures a lucrative pathway into continental football. 

Striver.Football highlights the key games that will define the dramatic conclusion of the 2025/2026 EPL season.

Tottenham vs Everton

What’s at stake: Tottenham could be relegated

In what has been one of the most unbelievable stories of the season, Tottenham, who are considered a traditional big six club, and who won the Europa League this time last season, will be trying to avoid the drop when they host Everton at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. 

Their assignment on paper is clear: Roberto De Zerbi, who has gone on an impressive run of four unbeaten games in seven attempts since his appointment in March, only drew at home against a reeling Everton to ensure mathematical safety, courtesy of an unassailable goal-difference advantage over the bottom three. 

However, Spurs have massively struggled on home turf this season. Should they crumble under pressure from a very impressive Everton outfit, their fate might be written come full time.

West Ham vs Leeds United

What’s at stake: West Ham could be relegated

Inside a different ground in London, West Ham will host Leeds United in a match where they do not control their own destiny.

The Hammers sit in 18th place, two points adrift of Tottenham. Because of a vastly inferior goal difference, the Hammers need nothing but a win to keep their chances of survival alive.

At the same time, they will be hoping Everton do them a massive favor and beat Tottenham. It is a nerve-shredding scenario that will keep the cameras firmly fixed on the London Stadium baseline.

Liverpool vs Brentford

What’s at stake: Liverpool’s Champions League hopes plus Mo Salah and Andy Robertson's final Anfield games

The Reds will be hosting Brentford at Anfield with Champions League qualification almost certain. It will take an apocalyptic collapse for them to drop out of fifth place. They sit three points above sixth placed Bournemouth.

With Arsenal, Man City, Man United and Aston Villa having already secured Champions League football, the pressure for the fifth and final spot will be at an all time high.

However, the true gravity of this fixture lies in its emotional significance. This match represents the final time modern club legends Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson will wear the Liverpool shirt at Anfield before their impending summer departures. 

Adding to the intrigue, speculation continues to swirl around the future of manager Arne Slot, making this a potentially historic afternoon of transitions on Merseyside.

Read More: How Media Framing Shaped the Arsenal vs Manchester City Premier League Title Narrative

Nottingham Forest vs Bournemouth

What’s at stake: Bournemouth’s Champions League hopes

Although Bournemouth are already assured of at least Europa League football next season, they still stand a chance at clinching Champions League place.

Catching Liverpool might not be impossible, but highly improbable. But there is a chance Aston Villa, who won the UEFA Europa League earlier this week to seal a place in Europe’s premier competition, might still fall down to fifth, opening the door for a sixth place English team to seal Champions League football.

Andoni Iraola’s side must win to defend that coveted sixth spot from the chasing pack.

Brighton vs Manchester United

What’s at stake: Either Champions League or Europa League qualification hopes for Brighton

Hoping to capitalise on any Bournemouth slip-up are Brighton and Hove Albion, who welcome Manchester United to the Amex Stadium. 

The Seagulls sit in seventh place, trailing Bournemouth by three points and on course for UEFA Europa Conference league promotion, but might fancy a chance at qualifying for more glamorous European competitions.

Should Bournemouth lose to Forest, a Brighton victory over Manchester United would push the Seagulls into sixth place on goal difference, positioning them as the direct beneficiaries of that potential Champions League structural windfall. They would definitely appreciate a Europa League place as well.

United, who have enjoyed a fantastic last six months under Michael Carrick - who put pen to paper on a new two year contract as head coach, will provide a stern test, but the stakes on the South Coast could not be higher for a club eager to gatecrash Europe's elite tier.

Sunderland vs Chelsea

What’s at stake: Chelsea’s European qualification hopes

Chelsea travel to the Stadium of Light to face Sunderland sitting in eighth place, clinging to the final guaranteed European qualification spot. 

A victory could lift the Blues into seventh, overtaking Brighton, but the underlying narrative surrounding Chelsea is deeply complex.

Reports indicate that due to a settlement brokered with UEFA last summer following financial sanctions, the Blues must adhere to strict budgetary restrictions if they participate in European competitions next season. 

There is a lingering belief behind the scenes that missing out on Europe entirely might actually allow the club to avoid further regulatory penalties from the European governing body, creating a bizarre scenario where a final-day defeat might serve their long-term administrative interests as Xabi Alonso prepares to take charge of the side.

Manchester City vs Aston Villa

What’s at stake: Pep Guardiola’s perfect send off

Pep Guardiola will be calling time on his glamorous 10-year career in Manchester as he leads City out for the very last time against Villa at the Etihad Stadium.

With the Gunners already crowned champions, the match carries no competitive pressure for Man City, who have comfortably secured their Champions League status. 

Villa also secured Champions League football, so this game will practically be meaningless for them. However, Liverpool will be eyeing fourth place, so they will be wary of missing out of the top four places, which might mean lesser performance-based price money fees for them should they drop to fifth place.

As explained above, where Villa finish will directly dictate whether the team finishing sixth in the table receives a golden ticket into next season’s revamped Champions League.