Who Will Go Down? Full Premier League Relegation Battle Explained
The relegation battle in the 2025-26 Premier League season is heading towards a dramatic finish.
With just 6 matches remaining, 4 teams — Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, Nottingham Forest and Leeds United — are separated by just 3 points.
Burnley and Wolves are almost certain to go down. That leaves one spot left in the relegation zone.
It was a poor weekend for Spurs. They lost again, while their rivals picked up points. West Ham beat Wolves 4-0. Forest drew with Aston Villa. Leeds stunned Manchester United away in their first league win at Old Trafford since 1981.
Tottenham are now in the bottom three. They sit on 30 points, 2 points behind safety.
A first relegation since 1977 is now a real threat for Spurs, despite playing in the Champions League this season. They finished 17th last season but were 13 points clear from the relegation zone.
Tottenham Hotspur – Fighting against history
Points: 30
Remaining fixtures:
- 18 April – Brighton (H)
- 25 April – Wolves (A)
- 2 May – Aston Villa (A)
- 9 May – Leeds (H)
- 17 May – Chelsea (A)
- 24 May – Everton (H)
Reason to be hopeful in the Relegation battle
There is still a path to survival.
Forest have won just one of their last 9 matches. Leeds’ win at Old Trafford was their first in 7 games. Both teams also have distractions from other competitions.
West Ham are in better form but have the toughest run-in.
Tottenham have 3 home games against Brighton, Leeds and Everton. They also travel to bottom-placed Wolves. Their recent draw at Liverpool shows they can compete in big games.
Reason to worry
Spurs are in terrible form.
They have not won a league match since December. This is their longest winless run since the 1930s.
Only 3 teams, Derby (2008), Sunderland (2003) and Swindon (1993), have had longer winless starts to a calendar year than Tottenham’s 14-game run in 2026. All three were relegated.
New manager Roberto De Zerbi lost his first match in charge. Spurs went down 1-0 to Sunderland. Nordi Mukiele’s goal came via a deflection. Captain Cristian Romero also picked up a season-ending knee injury.
The signs are worrying.
West Ham United – Momentum vs tough fixtures
Points: 32
Remaining fixtures:
- 20 April – Crystal Palace (A)
- 25 April – Everton (H)
- 2 May – Brentford (A)
- 9 May – Arsenal (H)
- 17 May – Newcastle (A)
- 24 May – Leeds (H)
Reason to be hopeful in the Relegation battle
West Ham are in form.
They have taken 7 points from their last 4 games. Only Arsenal, Manchester City, Brighton and Sunderland have done better in that period.
They beat Wolves 4-0 in their last match.
New signing Taty Castellanos scored a brace and has added sharpness to the attack.
Manager Nuno Espírito Santo has brought belief back into the squad.
Momentum is on their side.
Reason to worry
Their remaining fixtures are the toughest among the four teams.
They still have to face Crystal Palace, Everton, Brentford, Newcastle and Arsenal before a final-day clash with Leeds.
They have won 5 of their last 11 games, but most wins came against bottom teams. Their win rate is 100% vs bottom six, but only 25% vs top 14 teams.
That could hurt them in the final stretch.
Nottingham Forest – Solid defence, weak attack
Points: 33
Remaining fixtures:
- 19 April – Burnley (H)
- 24 April – Sunderland (A)
- 2 May – Chelsea (A)
- 9 May – Newcastle (H)
- 17 May – Manchester United (A)
- 24 May – Bournemouth (H)
Reason to be hopeful in the Relegation battle
Forest are hard to beat.
They are unbeaten in their last 4 matches. They drew against Manchester City (twice coming from behind), Fulham and Aston Villa.
Only 7 teams have conceded fewer non-penalty goals (39) this season.
They rank 11th for non-penalty xG against (43.2).
These numbers show a strong defensive base under Vitor Pereira.
Reason to worry
Goals are a major issue.
Forest have scored just 32 goals this season. Only Wolves (24) have scored fewer.
Morgan Gibbs-White is their top scorer with 9 goals. No other player has scored more than 3.
They have failed to score in 14 matches, second only to Wolves (16).
That lack of firepower could cost them survival.
Leeds United – Almost safe but not done yet
Points: 36
Remaining fixtures:
- 18 April – Wolves (H)
- 25 April – Bournemouth (A)
- 2 May – Burnley (H)
- 9 May – Tottenham (A)
- 17 May – Brighton (H)
- 24 May – West Ham (A)
Reason to be hopeful in the Relegation battle
Leeds are in the strongest position.
They also have the easiest run-in. They still face all bottom-four teams.
After beating Manchester United, they now have a 6-point cushion above the relegation zone.
They may only need one more win to secure safety. They host Wolves next.
Reason to worry
There is still some risk.
Leeds lost 6 of 7 games earlier in the season, including defeats to Spurs, Burnley and Forest.
Before the win at Old Trafford, they had gone 6 matches without a win, failing to score in the last 4 games.
They still face Spurs and West Ham. Poor results in those matches could directly help their rivals.
Relegation Battle – Far From Over
The Premier League relegation fight is still wide open.
6 games mean 18 points are still available. That is enough to completely change the table.
Tottenham are struggling the most. West Ham have momentum but tough fixtures. Forest are solid but lack goals. Leeds look safe but cannot relax yet.
It will all come down to the final day when West Ham host Leeds in a clash for the ages, Spurs face Everton and Forest host Bournemouth.
The upcoming few weeks will decide who stays up and who drops to the Championship. Make your football predictions here.