The fans of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham have seen their teams finish respectively 10th, 12th and 17th in the 2025/26 Premier League table.
None of the three clubs qualifying for Europe.
However, nine other Premier League clubs have qualified across the three European competitions.
Arsenal, Man City, Man U, Aston Villa and Liverpool will be playing in the Champions League next (2026/27) season.
Brighton will be in the Conference League, while Bournemouth, Sunderland and Crystal Palace will play in the Europa League.
For the likes of Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham, especially the fans of these clubs, there is a hidden blow to finding their teams not in Europe.
The Monday night curse.
There is a kind of rule, a supposed limit, that no Premier League clubs can be picked more than five times by Sky Sports for their live matches across Monday and Friday nights throughout the season.
Needless to say, this rule/limit doesn’t mean anything.
Last (2025/26) season Chelsea, Newcastle United and Tottenham were all playing in Europe, three of nine Premier League clubs who did so.
Those nine clubs who were in Europe last season, it largely shielded them from most Friday and Monday slots due to their midweek games in the Champions League etc.
So the Premier League clubs not in European competition and with the biggest fanbases absorb so many of the unpopular picks.
BBC Sport published a report on 30 March 2026 that showed how many times the various Premier League clubs had ended up selected for Friday and Monday night broadcasts. By that point Tottenham hadn’t been selected for any Friday or Monday night TV slots, whilst Chelsea had been chosen for one Friday night and no Monday night ones.
Newcastle United had been chosen for one of each, Liverpool at home on a Monday night and Man U away on a Friday. However, the Liverpool game at St James’ Park was a Monday night in August 2025 before the Champions League fixtures started, whilst the Old Trafford game was a one-off on Boxing Day night. Newcastle United ended up not playing any other Friday or Monday night matches in the Premier League for Sky Sports.
In that BBC Sport report on 30 March 2026 it was a very different case for certain other clubs, ones who weren’t in European competition but have the largest fanbases and/or seen as most glamorous by Sky Sports.
By 30 March 2026 the combined Friday night and Monday night Sky Sports selections showed by that point: Manchester United 8 (2 Friday and 6 Monday), Everton 7 (0 Friday and 7 Monday), West Ham 7 (3 Friday and 4 Monday), Leeds 6 (3 Friday and 3 Monday).
The 2026/27 season, it is pretty much inevitable that Sky Sports will be chiefly feasting on Newcastle United, Chelsea and Tottenham when it comes to making their selections for Friday night and Monday night football