Bournemouth enter their Premier League finale against Nottingham Forest with European football confirmed and Champions League hopes still alive. A 1-1 draw with Manchester City guarantees continental competition in 2026-27, yet results elsewhere on Sunday decide whether the Cherries play in the Champions League or another European tournament for the first time in their 127-year history.
The key scenario is clear. Bournemouth sit sixth and host Nottingham Forest, while Liverpool face Brentford and Aston Villa visit Manchester City. If Bournemouth keep sixth, Liverpool defeat Brentford at Anfield, and Villa lose at Etihad Stadium after winning the Europa League on Wednesday, the Cherries move into next season’s Champions League.
Andoni Iraola will not be in charge when Bournemouth step into Europe in 2026-27, with Marco Rose already confirmed as the incoming head coach. Bournemouth are unlikely to catch fifth-placed Liverpool, but must avoid defeat against Forest so seventh-placed Brighton do not leapfrog them on the final day and alter their European path.
Forest arrive without pressure at Vitality Stadium. The team, who reached the Europa League semi-finals last season, secured safety from relegation weeks ago and can finish only 15th or 16th. That contrast in motivation, with Bournemouth chasing Champions League qualification and Forest playing for pride, shapes the outlook for this meeting.
History in this fixture leans strongly towards Bournemouth. Nottingham Forest have never beaten the Cherries in the Premier League, taking three draws and four defeats from seven games. It is the most times Forest have met any side in the competition without winning, and the most matches Bournemouth have faced a club without losing.
The broader league trend also supports Iraola’s side. Bournemouth are unbeaten in 17 Premier League matches, winning eight and drawing nine. Among teams that did not win the title, only Chelsea with 21 games in 2007-08 and Liverpool with 19 in 2021-22 have put together longer end-of-season runs and still finished second.
Past trips to the City Ground tell a different story before recent years. Bournemouth failed to win any of the first eight away league games at Forest between 1950 and 2021, drawing four and losing four. Since then, however, they have claimed three victories and one draw from four visits, reflecting a shift in the balance between the clubs.
Bournemouth vs Nottingham Forest key players and stats
Individual form could again shape this contest. For Nottingham Forest, Morgan Gibbs-White remains central in attack, with 10 goal involvements in the last nine Premier League appearances, made up of eight goals and two assists since the start of March. No player in the division has contributed to more goals in that period.
Junior Kroupi carries Bournemouth’s main threat. The teenager scored against Manchester City on Tuesday, reaching 13 league goals and setting a new record for most Premier League goals by a teenager in a debut season. Kroupi has also found the net versus Arsenal, City and Manchester United, becoming the first teenager to score against each of the eventual top three in one Premier League campaign.
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As a player, Tommy Elphick experienced Bournemouth’s rise first-hand in League One, the Championship and the Premier League. Speaking to BBC Radio Solent, Elphick was asked to rank this season against other recent high points for the club and responded with a detailed reflection on different eras and the people involved.
“It supersedes all of that. It is very hard to compare generations because every group, in its own right, has done different things at different periods for this club, to set it up for the next generation. But the group we have got, the coach we have got, the one we are getting, the people who are running the football club, they are very special people. It’s remarkable. So much credit has to be paid to so many people. It’s very important that we all try to soak it up and enjoy it. We have to go back a long way to credit all the people that deserve it. There are so many people to mention that kept the club afloat. The fans… it means so much to so many people, and it is not lost on us.”
The next incredible chapter of this football club is written Well be in Europe for the first time in our 127-year history next season On to Sunday for one final push to find out which competition pic.twitter.com/BSNmpgTtGUAFC Bournemouth (@afcbournemouth) May 19, 2026
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Elphick also underlined how far Bournemouth have travelled since earlier years in the lower leagues. "When I joined this club all those years ago, we were fighting to get out of League One, so to be dining at the top table with the big boys is something that can't be lost on anyone," Elphick said, stressing the scale of the club’s progress.
The assistant manager added that such achievements remain rare in the sport. "In football, you don't get this. This isn't normal. You're not meant to do things like this, so we have to take it all in and enjoy it." That sense of perspective reflects the club’s journey from financial struggle to regular Premier League status and now European competition.
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Bournemouth are rated favourites, helped by stronger form and higher stakes. Nottingham Forest have won their final league match in only one of the last six seasons, with two draws and three defeats, and that solitary victory came 2-1 against relegated Burnley in 2023-24. Every factor points towards Iraola’s side extending an unbeaten run and closing a historic league campaign with European qualification already secured.
Story first published: Friday, May 22, 2026, 1:56 [IST]
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