Every team promoted to Europe’s Big Five Leagues for 2025-26: Leeds, Sunderland, Hamburg…

The 2024-25 season is drawing to a close, but we’re already salivating for next year and a really interesting array of promoted clubs in Europe’s top five leagues.

Leicester City, Bochum, Monza, Las Palmas and Montpellier are among the relegated clubs who will be playing second-tier football next term, but which clubs will be taking their places in Europe’s big leagues?

Here’s every club who have sealed promotion to one of Europe’s major leagues – Premier League, Serie A, Bundesliga, La Liga and Ligue 1 – for 2025-26.

Leeds United

Leeds are back in the big time at the second attempt, having notched an exceptional tally of 190 points over Daniel Farke’s two seasons at Elland Road.

After his two promotions with Norwich City, Farke has once again demonstrated his chops as a second-tier specialist. But after rumours of a ruthless summer departure, can he finally show he’s got what it takes to be a successful Premier League coach?

Unfairly or not, the German still has a bit of a reputation as a managerial equivalent to Robbie Earnshaw or Adam Armstrong: too good for the Championship, not good enough for the Premier League.

With ambitious plans for stadium expansion and big funds promised in the transfer market, Leeds might have what it takes to buck the trend of promoted clubs sinking straight back down. The potential is certainly there; watch this space.

Burnley

Like Farke, Scott Parker’s Premier League track record isn’t the best. He’s responsible for the worst points-per-game record (0.77) of any coach to have taken charge of 50+ matches.

But you can’t argue with three promotions with three different clubs from just three seasons in the Championship. And Burnley went up emphatically, tying Leeds on 100 points and breaking all kinds of defensive records.

Parker conceded nine goals in his last match as a Premier League manager, but his Clarets only conceded 16(!) across 46 matches in 2024-25. Has he grown as a manager?

There might be trouble ahead, though. Centre-back CJ Egan-Riley is out of contract and is expected to leave, his partner Maxime Esteve has stated his desire to play at a higher level and goalkeeper James Trafford has been strongly linked with Newcastle.

Losing the entire defensive unit that got them up would give Parker and the club’s recruitment team a lot of work in the coming weeks.

Sunderland

The Black Cats ended up 24 points behind Leeds and Burnley, and 14 behind third-placed Sheffield United, after losing their last five matches of the regular league campaign.

Regis Le Bris’ plan to rest, rotate and regroup for the play-offs proved a masterstroke as they had the legs to score vital late goals in both legs of the semis as well as the final, with local lad Tom Watson’s 95th-minute match-winner at Wembley one that will live long in the memory.

They’re back after eight years away, four of them spent in the depths of League One.

It’s a very young squad and they’re already the heavy favourites to finish bottom next year, but recognising their limitations and setting up pragmatically might serve them well.

FC Koln

The Billy Goats bounced straight back to the German top flight at the first time of asking after topping the Bundesliga II table.

Barnsley cult hero Gerhard Struber took charge for most of the campaign but was sensationally sacked on the eve of the run-in. Veteran coach Friedhelm Funkel, who has served twice in the post before, was brought in to get them over the line.

You could do worse than plotting a weekend away to Cologne next year. A post-match stop-off at Lukas Podolski’s kebab shop is essential.

Hamburg

Joining Koln in the Bundesliga next season are runners-up Hamburg, who sparked wild celebrations in the port city after finally ending their seven-year exodus.

The Bundesliga II is full of fallen giants, from Schalke to Hertha Berlin to FC Kaiserslautern, but it was Hamburg that most had their act together to get it done.

Relative minnows SV Elversberg only finished a point behind them but missed the chance to go up after losing their play-off to Heidenheim.

Look out for the first top-flight Hamburg derby with St. Pauli in 15 years. Tasty.

Levante

Three years after suffering a miserable relegation with a hapless late-career Shkodran Mustafi struggling at the heart of their defence, Levante are back in La Liga.

The Valencia-based outfit sealed their top-flight status at the weekend with a madcap 3-2 victory away to Burgos, sealed in the 97th minute. That’s how to do it.

With one game left to play in the Segunda Division campaign, Elche are in the driving seat for the second automatic promotion spot.

But Mirandes and Santi Cazorla’s Real Oviedo are waiting in the wings to capitalise should they slip up.

READ: 6 players from the Spanish Segunda Division who have fallen off the footballing map

Lorient

The Hakes have bounced straight back to the French top flight after becoming champions of Ligue 2.

Lorient have the wonderfully named Olivier Pantaloni sitting in the dugout, while Bournemouth’s teenage striker loanee Eli Junior Kroupi proved pivotal with 22 goals in 30 appearances.

One to watch out for back at his parent club next term.

Paris FC

You probably already know that Paris FC have been promoted if you’ve kept half an eye on social media.

Posts about their stadium being literally right next to PSG’s Parc des Princes have been unavoidable. 2025’s equivalent to Luton Town and ‘can you believe this will be a Premier League stadium!?‘

Still, a long-awaited Parisian derby in the French top flight will be fun. Paris FC were last in Ligue 1 46 years ago.

With billionaire Bernard Arnault at the helm and investment from Red Bull, Paris FC could be set to make major waves in their first year back.

Metz are currently battling to join them. They take a 1-1 draw with Ligue 1 club Reims into the second leg of their relegation play-off.

Sassuolo

Surprise mainstays in Serie A for a decade, Sassuolo’s time in the Italian top flight came to an abrupt end last year. But they’ve made their return at the first time of asking.

Club icon Domenico Berardi stayed put and played a starring role in their Serie B-winning campaign, notching six goals and 14 assists in just 29 appearances.

Pisa

The Italian Scott Parker (as absolutely nobody calls him), Pippo Inzaghi has just secured a third promotion with a third different club after leading Venezia and Benevento to Serie A in recent years gone by.

Pisa haven’t been in the Italian top flight since 1990-91. That’s even before the days of Channel 4’s iconic Football Italia and James Richardson sipping cappuccino while reading Gazzetta.

Cremonese and Spezia will contest the upcoming two-legged promotion play-off final to join Sassuolo and Pisa in the 2025-26 Serie A table.

READ NEXT: A combined XI from promoted & relegated clubs that could achieve Premier League survival

TRY A QUIZ: Can you name every team promoted to the Premier League via the play-offs?