Updated to match(es) played on 27 March 2018. Source: UEFA
Rules for classification: Qualification tiebreakers (Z) Cannot qualify directly, but can still qualify via play-offs.
The final draw will be held in April 2018 in England.[3] The 16 teams are drawn into four groups of four teams. Hosts England are assigned to position A1 in the draw, while the other teams are seeded according to their results in the qualification elite round, with the seven best elite round group winners (counting all elite round results) placed in Pot 1 and drawn to positions 1 and 2 in the groups, and the remaining eight teams (the eighth-best elite round group winner and the seven elite round group runners-up) placed in Pot 2 and drawn to positions 3 and 4 in the groups.
Updated to match(es) played on 23 April 2018. Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored. 4) Play-offs (only if needed to decide champion, teams for relegation or teams for UEFA competitions).[9] (C) Champion; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (X) Assured of at least Europa League, but may still qualify for Champions League.
Notes:
^ abSince the winners of the 2017–18 FA Cup (Chelsea or Manchester United) and the winners of the 2017–18 EFL Cup (Manchester City) will either qualify for European competition based on league position or finish at lowest 6th, the berth awarded to the League Cup winners (Europa League second qualifying round) is passed down to the 7th-placed team.
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2018. Source: English Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated; (X) Assured of at least a play-off place and may still qualify for automatic promotion.
Notes:
^Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the Premier League.
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2018. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (R) Relegated.
Notes:
^Four teams play for one spot and promotion to the EFL Championship.
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2018. Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated; (X) Assured of at least a play-off place and may still qualify for automatic promotion.
Notes:
^Four teams play for one spot and promotion to EFL League One.
Updated to match(es) played on 24 April 2018. Source: National League official site
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Number of goals scored; 4) Number of matches won; 5) Head-to-head results [10] (C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (Q) Qualified to the phase indicated; (R) Relegated; (Y) Assured of a play-off place (round TBD).
16 June: The live-streamed first-round draw for the 2017–18 EFL Cup, held in sponsor Carabao's hometown of Bangkok in Thailand, descends into farce as a string of errors crop up, including an official graphic assigning two different sets of opposition to Charlton Athletic.[18]
20 July: Following the demise of East Midlands side Ilkeston, a new club, Ilkeston Town, are founded, led by Notts County owner Alan Hardy.[20] The club is the third to take the name, after sides active from the 1880s to 1903, and from 1945 to 2010.
6 August: Arsenal are victorious over Chelsea in the 2017 FA Community Shield after earning a 1–1 draw with a goal near the end of normal time. The match subsequently becomes the first competitive game to be decided via the use of the new "ABBA" penalty format, with consecutive misses by Thibaut Courtois and Álvaro Morata ultimately proving costly for Chelsea, and Arsenal scoring all four of their own penalties.
23 August: Liverpool's 6–3 aggregate victory over 1899 Hoffenheim sees them enter the group stage of this season's Champions League. This means that, for the first time, five English teams will be taking part in the group stage of the competition (five had previously qualified for the 2005–06 tournament, but Everton failed to make it through to the group stages).
31 August: The first month of the season ends with Manchester United leading the Premier League, having won all three matches so far and scored ten goals without having conceded once. Liverpool are in second place, with third-placed Huddersfield Town proving the surprise package of the early season, level on points with both Liverpool and fourth-placed Manchester City. West Bromwich Albion are behind the aforementioned three sides on goal difference, while defending champions Chelsea are sixth. West Ham United, Crystal Palace and AFC Bournemouth are all without any points (and in Crystal Palace's case, goals) so far this season, and make up the bottom three. In the Championship, Cardiff City lead the way with five wins out of five; Ipswich Town are in second place, a point ahead of Leeds United, with Wolverhampton Wanderers, newly promoted Sheffield United and Nottingham Forest rounding off the top six. Bolton Wanderers are bottom of the table, with Brentford ahead only on goal difference, and both sides winless. Norwich City, who had been among the pre-season promotion favourites, are also in the bottom three.
30 September: The month ends with Manchester City having taken over the top of the Premier League table from their cross-city rivals United; both sides have near-identical records, with six wins and a draw apiece, but City are ahead by just one goal. Tottenham Hotspur are five points back in third place, and Chelsea are fourth; Watford are now just a point off fourth place, though they have played a game more than Liverpool (6th) and Arsenal (7th). Crystal Palace are marooned at the bottom of the table following a horrendous start to the season, which has seen them lose seven games out of seven without scoring once, a top-flight record. Bournemouth are still in the bottom three as well, with Swansea City now having joined them. Cardiff City continue to lead the way in the Championship, with Wolverhampton Wanderers now second. Sheffield United are third and hunting for a second successive promotion, though fourth-place Leeds United have a game in hand over their Yorkshire rivals. Bristol City and Preston North End occupy the other two play-off spots. Bolton Wanderers remain bottom, and are now five points adrift. Sunderland are now second-bottom and facing a battle to avoid a second relegation in a row, while Birmingham City have also dropped into the bottom three.
31 October: October comes to a close with Manchester City opening a five-point lead over second-placed Manchester United with the best start to a season in Premier League history: with 10 games played, they have scored 35 goals while only conceding 6 and have only dropped two points. Spurs and Chelsea remain third and fourth, Arsenal have jumped ahead of Liverpool to stand in fifth, and Burnley have continued their good start to the season to climb to seventh. Crystal Palace have finally won a game but remain bottom. Bournemouth remain 19th, and Everton have fallen into the relegation zone, with Swansea only ahead on goal difference. Wolves and Cardiff have swapped places at the summit of the Championship, while Sheffield United remain third. The rest of the top six consists of Bristol City, Derby County (with a game in hand), and Leeds (ahead of Middlesbrough on goals scored). Bolton (24th) and Sunderland remain in the bottom three, now sandwiching Burton Albion.
10 November: England draw 0–0 with reigning world champions Germany in a friendly at Wembley.[27]
14 November: England register another home clean sheet, this time shutting out five-time FIFA World Cup winners Brazil in a goalless draw at the national stadium.[28]
30 November: Manchester City end November still at the top of the table, having won all their league games in November. Their lead over second-placed Manchester United has increased to eight points; furthermore, City will break the record for the most Premier League games won consecutively if they win their upcoming match against West Ham and succeed in the Manchester derby. Chelsea climb to third and Arsenal seize fourth place, with Liverpool two points behind them. Burnley's good form shows no sign of abating as they finish November in sixth place, ahead of a Spurs side whose European exploits are outstripping their domestic performance. Crystal Palace end another month bottom, but now tied on goal difference with Swansea City and only three points behind West Bromwich Albion. West Ham United are 18th. The top three of the Championship stays the same from the end of October. Aston Villa have leapfrogged the rest of the play-off hopefuls and stand fourth, ahead of Bristol City and Derby. Sunderland and Bolton have swapped positions, but the relegation zone otherwise remains unchanged.
1 December: The World Cup draw is made at the Kremlin State Palace in Moscow, Russia, co-hosted by the Golden Boot winner for the 1986 tournament, Gary Lineker. England are drawn in Group G, against Belgium, Tunisia, and Panama.
3 December: Manchester United win 3–1 against rivals Arsenal. Antonio Valencia got the first of the victors' goals before Jesse Lingard scored his second and third of the week, however Paul Pogba was sent off and will be suspended for the forthcoming Manchester derby; Alexandre Lacazette is the Gunners' goalscorer.[31] In more FA Cup round two fixtures, Crewe Alexandra and Woking earn replays against opposition from higher leagues: Alex after Blackburn Rovers went 3–0 up and then Rovers were reduced to nine men, and the non-league club after falling behind to Peterborough United.[32]
11 December: The European draws are made. In the Champions League last 16, Chelsea will face Barcelona, Liverpool drew Porto, Manchester City will play Swiss side Basel, Manchester United meet Sevilla and Tottenham will welcome Juventus back to Wembley after facing the reigning Italian champions there in pre-season. England's sole Europa League survivors, Arsenal, will face Östersund of Sweden, managed by Englishman Graham Potter.[35] Elsewhere, Liverpool's Mohamed Salah is crowned BBC African Footballer of the Year for 2017, ahead of Chelsea man Victor Moses and Naby Keïta, the Leipzig Red Bull due to join Salah at Liverpool on 1 July 2018.[36]
14 December: The last non-league club exit the FA Cup as Fleetwood Town beat Hereford in the second round replay. This is the first tournament since the 1950–51 ion to see no non-league side reach the third round.[37]
20 December: Bristol City are the shock name in the EFL Cup semi-finals after victory against holders Manchester United. They will face Manchester City in the last four, while rivals Arsenal and Chelsea are drawn together and will meet in a third competition this season, having played each other in the Premier League and the FA Community Shield.[38]
23 December: Harry Kane equals Alan Shearer's record of 36 Premier League goals in a calendar year, scoring all of Tottenham's three in their away win at Burnley.[39]
26 December: Kane surpasses Shearer's record with another hat-trick in the 5–2 home win against Southampton, ending the year with 39 Premier League goals.[40]
31 December: Manchester City end 2017 by ending their 18-game winning streak with a goalless draw at Crystal Palace, but are now 14 points ahead of second-placed Chelsea, and it is increasingly becoming a question of not if but when the Mancunian side will claim their first title since 2014. A poor December has seen Manchester United fall to third, three points ahead of Liverpool. Arsenal and Spurs remain in the hunt for Champions League football, and Burnley remain poised to finish in the top seven. Crystal Palace have escaped the relegation zone and finish the year in 17th, though 18th-placed West Ham are a point behind with a game in hand. Swansea, who held the dubious honour of being bottom of the league on Christmas Day, hold their position into the New Year, tied on goal difference with West Brom. In the Championship, another dominant side is emerging, as Wolves are 10 points clear of second-placed Derby County. Severnside rivals Bristol City and Cardiff continue to compete for second place. Leeds have returned to the play-off zone, and Sheffield United steal sixth place from Aston Villa on goals scored. Sunderland have escaped the relegation zone at the expense of 24th-placed Birmingham City. Bolton and Burton are 22nd and 23rd, but Hull City and Barnsley are only a few points ahead of the two sides and also in danger of relegation.
2 January: Preston North End and Ireland U21 defender Kevin O'Connor is revealed as the winner of €1,000,000 in the Irish National Lottery's 2017 Christmas Millionaire Raffle, with a ticket bought as a Christmas present by his uncle.[41] Elsewhere, West Brom's winless run is extended to 20 matches with defeat at the London Stadium:[42]Jake Livermore and a West Ham fan rowed after the supporter made reference to the death of Livermore's young son.[43]
6 January: The third round of the FA Cup sees Premier League side Stoke City dumped out by League Two outfit Coventry City, a result which costs Stoke manager Mark Hughes his job within hours of the game.
7 January: The next round of FA Cup fixtures results in holders Arsenal being knocked out by Championship side Nottingham Forest, while another Championship side, Leeds United, are knocked out by League Two side Newport County.
14 January: During the first set of Premier League fixtures since the enforced FA Cup break, Manchester City see their unbeaten run come to an end in thrilling fashion after going down 4-3 at Liverpool. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain opened the scoring for the Reds on 9 minutes before goals from Roberto Firmino, Sadio Mané and Mohamed Salah sealed the deal.
17 January: League 1 leaders Wigan Athletic eliminate Premier Leaguers AFC Bournemouth in the FA Cup third round replay at the DW Stadium.[45] Meanwhile at Stamford Bridge, Norwich take Chelsea to a penalty shoot-out before exiting the Cup, as the Premier League winners score all five of their spot-kicks.[46]
23 January: Bristol City's EFL Cup run is ended at the semi-final stage by quadruple-chasing Manchester City.[47]
24 January: Arsenal beat Chelsea 2–1 in the EFL Cup semi-final.[48] The draw for the inaugural ion of the UEFA Nations League is made: England are drawn into Group 4 of League A, alongside Spain and Croatia.[49] Elsewhere, Leeds' new crest for their centenary is unveiled and promptly receives a barrage of criticism with some likening the "Leeds Salute" depiction to the cover art of Pro Evolution Soccer 2; the club vow to "reopen the consultation process".[50]
31 January: Manchester City's seeming march towards the title is showing no signs of slowing, with the club now having a 15-point lead. Neighbours Manchester United have now moved up to second place, three points ahead of Liverpool, who are ahead of Chelsea on goal difference. Tottenham Hotspur are two more points behind in fifth place, but have a comfortable six-point lead over North London rivals Arsenal. Burnley remain seventh, though with resurgent Leicester City and Everton sides closing the gap. Despite winning for the first time since August, West Bromwich Albion have now fallen to the foot of the table, three points behind both Swansea and Southampton, the latter of whom have been dropped into the relegation zone after failing to win a league game since the end of November. The situation in the Championship is looking a similar procession for the leaders, with Wolverhampton Wanderers now 11 points ahead of Derby County, who in turn are just barely ahead of the chasing pack, with Aston Villa, Cardiff City, Bristol City and Fulham making up the top six. Burton are now bottom of the table, with Sunderland now back in the relegation zone, along with Bolton; only four points separate the bottom six, however.
6 February: The 60th anniversary of the Munich air disaster is marked with remembrance ceremonies at Old Trafford[51] and on Manchester Platz (Manchester Square) in Munich,[52] while Manchester United's Under-19 team visited Partizan Stadium, where United played the match before the air disaster.[51] In the FA Cup fourth round replays, Rochdale of League One knock out Championship side Millwall, Huddersfield overcome Birmingham City in extra time, and Notts' run is ended in South Wales as Swansea City engineer eight goals at the Liberty Stadium.[53] Meanwhile, Lincoln City will play at Wembley for the first time after beating Chelsea's Under-21 team, the last remaining U21 side, in the EFL Trophy semi-final.[54]
14 February: Liverpool inflict a Valentine's Day massacre on Porto as Sadio Mané scores a hat-trick at the Estádio do Dragão; Mo Salah and Bobby Firmino are the other scorers for Jürgen Klopp's Kopites.[57]
15 February: Arsenal score three away goals without reply against Östersund at the Jamtkraft Arena in the first leg of their Europa League round of 32 clash.[58]
16 February: Bottom-of-the-table West Bromwich Albion are rocked after four senior players, all capped by their countrie, are investigated for stealing a taxicab on a club trip to Barcelona. They are American-born Wales goalkeeper Boaz Myhill, England midfielders Gareth Barry and Jake Livermore, and Jonny Evans, the captain of his club and his country of Northern Ireland.[59]
18 February: League One's bottom club Rochdale draw 2–2 with Spurs in the FA Cup fifth round, setting up a replay at Wembley.[60] In the Championship, Luke Chambers and Timm Klose exchange late headed goals as the East Anglian derby finishes 1–1.[61]
19 February: Wigan's Will Grigg sets fire to Manchester City's quadruple hopes by scoring the only goal of a bad-tempered all-Greater Manchester fifth round Cup-tie, becoming only the third side this season to beat City in all competitions.[62]
20 February: Willian gives Chelsea the lead over Barça in the Champions League, only for Lionel Messi to finally break his duck against Chelsea at the ninth time of asking, firing in the 75th minute at Stamford Bridge.[63]
22 February: Arsenal squeeze past Östersund on aggregate after the Swedish side win on the night but fall short on aggregate.[65]
23 February: The Europa League round of 16 draw pits Arsenal, now Britain's last Europa League representative after Celtic's last-32 exit, with Milan, a fixture that was last played when the Rossoneri eliminated the Londoners from the same stage of the 2011–12 UEFA Champions League.[66]
6 March: A goalless draw at Anfield is enough to see Liverpool comfortably past Porto and through to the quarter-finals of the Champions League.[68]
7 March: Having gone in front through Son Heung-min, Juventus negate and overturn Tottenham's lead in three minutes to end their Champions League hopes at the national stadium.[69] Elsewhere in the capital, senior officials on the West Ham board, including vice-chair Karren Brady, are accused by The Independent of meeting with members of the Inter City Firm, an English hooligan firm aligned with the Stratford side.[70] Meanwhile, Basel become only the second side to win at the City of Manchester Stadium in the Pep Guardiola era by beating Manchester City 2–1 on the night, bowing out 5–2 on aggregate.[71]
10 March: A match at the London Stadium between West Ham and Burnley designated for remembering Bobby Moore on the 25th anniversary of his death descends into ugly scenes as during four separate pitch invasions, "an impromptu protest took place within the stadium with around 200 people gathering under the directors’ box" according to the Metropolitan Police.[72]
13 March: Wissam Ben Yedder's four-minute double for Sevilla proves insurmountable for Manchester United, who can only find a Romelu Lukaku goal in riposte.[73]
14 March: Barcelona talisman Lionel Messi chalks up his 99th and 100th Champions League goals either side of Ousmane Dembélé's first in Blaugrana colours to send Chelsea out of the Champions League.[74]
16 March: England are guaranteed one side in the Champions League semi-finals after the last surviving English teams, North Western clubs Liverpool and Manchester City, are drawn together.[77] The match will be the first all-England tie in the Champions League since 2010–11, and City will become the seventh English side to draw Liverpool in Europe.[78] In the Europa League, Arsenal's reward for overcoming Milan is a trip to Russia, three months before England fly over, to do battle with CSKA Moscow.[79]