With the Premier League season nearing its conclusion, many key outcomes are already settled. Liverpool have been confirmed as champions, and the three teams promoted from the Championship last season – Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton – are set to be relegated. However, significant attention remains focused on which teams will secure qualification spots for European competitions.
The result of Saturday`s FA Cup final, where Crystal Palace unexpectedly defeated Manchester City to claim the trophy, has impacted the allocation of places in next season`s European tournaments.
Here’s a guide to understanding the current situation and how teams can qualify for the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League:
Premier League Standings
| Pos | Team | P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Liverpool | 36 | 25 | 8 | 3 | 81 | 35 | +46 | 83 |
| 2 | Arsenal | 36 | 18 | 14 | 4 | 66 | 33 | +33 | 68 |
| 3 | Newcastle United | 36 | 20 | 6 | 10 | 68 | 45 | +23 | 66 |
| 4 | Manchester City | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 67 | 43 | +24 | 65 |
| 5 | Chelsea | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 62 | 43 | +19 | 63 |
| 6 | Aston Villa | 36 | 18 | 9 | 9 | 56 | 49 | +7 | 63 |
| 7 | Nottingham Forest | 36 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 56 | 44 | +12 | 62 |
| 8 | Brentford | 36 | 16 | 7 | 13 | 63 | 53 | +10 | 55 |
| 9 | Brighton & Hove Albion | 36 | 14 | 13 | 9 | 59 | 56 | +3 | 55 |
| 10 | AFC Bournemouth | 36 | 14 | 11 | 11 | 55 | 43 | +12 | 53 |
| 11 | Fulham | 36 | 14 | 9 | 13 | 51 | 50 | +1 | 51 |
| 12 | Crystal Palace | 36 | 12 | 13 | 11 | 46 | 48 | -2 | 49 |
| 13 | Everton | 36 | 9 | 15 | 12 | 39 | 44 | -5 | 42 |
| 14 | Wolves | 36 | 12 | 5 | 19 | 51 | 64 | -13 | 41 |
| 15 | West Ham | 36 | 10 | 10 | 16 | 42 | 59 | -17 | 40 |
| 16 | Manchester United | 36 | 10 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 53 | -11 | 39 |
| 17 | Tottenham Hotspur | 36 | 11 | 5 | 20 | 63 | 59 | +4 | 38 |
| 18 | Ipswich Town | 36 | 4 | 10 | 22 | 35 | 77 | -42 | 22 |
| 19 | Leicester City | 36 | 5 | 7 | 24 | 31 | 78 | -47 | 22 |
| 20 | Southampton | 36 | 2 | 6 | 28 | 25 | 82 | -57 | 12 |
Who Qualifies for Which Competition?
English teams` strong performances in European competitions have boosted England`s UEFA coefficient ranking, resulting in an extra Champions League spot for next season.
Here`s a summary of the standard qualification pathways:
- The top five teams in the Premier League will qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
- The winners of the Europa League (either Manchester United or Tottenham) will also qualify for the Champions League, regardless of their league position.
- Under normal circumstances, the team finishing sixth in the Premier League qualifies for the Europa League.
- Under normal circumstances, the team finishing seventh in the Premier League qualifies for the Europa Conference League.
What Does Crystal Palace`s FA Cup Win Mean?
Crystal Palace`s victory in the FA Cup secures them an automatic place in the Europa League for next season.
What if Chelsea Win the Conference League?
This scenario introduces additional complexity to the qualification picture, as the outcome depends on whether Chelsea lifts the trophy and where they finish in the league.
Based on typical European spot allocation rules and adjustments for cup winners, the situation becomes intricate:
Standard Allocation (before factoring in Chelsea winning ECL or performance adjustments):
- UCL: League positions 1-4 + Europa League winners.
- EL: League position 5 + FA Cup winners (Crystal Palace).
- UECL: League position 6.
Scenario: If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish 7th in the Premier League:
Initially, without performance adjustments, the spots would look like this:
- UCL: League positions 1-4 + Europa League winners.
- EL: League position 5, Crystal Palace (FA Cup winners), and Chelsea (as Conference League winners).
- UECL: League position 6.
However, once UEFA`s performance-based adjustments are factored in (which ensures cup winners qualifying via their cup route don`t displace higher league qualifiers more than necessary), the allocation changes:
- UCL: League positions 1-5 + Europa League winners.
- EL: League position 6, plus Chelsea (as Conference League winners).
- UECL: League position 8.
How Can the Eighth-Placed Team Qualify?
This is a less common scenario, but there is a potential pathway for the team finishing eighth in the Premier League to secure a place in European competition.
For the eighth-placed team to qualify, the specific combination of events required is:
- Chelsea must win the Europa Conference League.
- Chelsea must finish 7th in the Premier League table.
As detailed in the scenario above, if Chelsea win the ECL and finish 7th, their qualification as a cup winner places them in the Europa League. This then causes the Europa League spot (which would typically go to 6th) to be taken by the 7th-placed team, and the Conference League spot (typically for 7th) cascades down to the 8th-placed team. The mechanics are complex, but that is the chain of events leading to an eighth-place European spot in this specific circumstance.
