As the Premier League season draws to a close, with the champions confirmed and the three promoted teams from the previous season (Ipswich Town, Leicester City, and Southampton) being the ones facing relegation, attention is now firmly fixed on securing spots in European competitions.
The outcome of Saturday`s FA Cup final, which saw Crystal Palace upset Manchester City for the title according to the source text, significantly alters the qualification landscape for European competitions next season.
Here’s a breakdown of the potential qualification scenarios 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?
Thanks to the strong performance of English clubs in European competitions, which boosted their coefficient points, England has secured an additional Champions League spot for the upcoming season.
Here`s the current outlook:
- The teams finishing from first through fifth place will qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
- Additionally, the winner of the Europa League final (between Manchester United and Tottenham, as stated in the source) will also qualify for the Champions League.
- For now, sixth place secures a spot in the Europa League.
- Currently, seventh place leads to the Europa Conference League.
Impact of Crystal Palace`s FA Cup Win
Crystal Palace`s victory in the FA Cup grants them automatic qualification for the Europa League next season.
What if Chelsea Win the Conference League?
This scenario introduces complexities into the qualification picture, depending on whether they win the competition and their final Premier League standing.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish in the top five of the Premier League:
- The top five teams, including Chelsea, will qualify for the Champions League, alongside the winner of the Europa League final (Tottenham or Man United).
- Crystal Palace and the team finishing in sixth place will qualify for the Europa League.
- Newcastle, expected to qualify for the Champions League via their league position, would instead qualify for the Conference League as Carabao Cup winners if they somehow finish outside the top five.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth in the Premier League, England will gain an extra team in the Europa League:
- The top five teams will qualify for the Champions League, along with the winner of the Europa League final (Tottenham or Man United).
- Crystal Palace, Chelsea (as Conference League winners), and the team finishing in seventh place will qualify for the Europa League.
- Newcastle, expected to qualify for the Champions League via their league position, would instead qualify for the Conference League as Carabao Cup winners if they somehow finish outside the top five.
Could the Eighth-Place Team Qualify?
This leads us into less probable scenarios, but there is a possibility for the eighth-placed team to qualify for European competition.
For this specific scenario to occur, the following would need to happen (assuming Newcastle finishes in the top six):
- Chelsea must win the Conference League and finish outside of the top five in the Premier League.
This chain of events means Chelsea would take a Europa League spot by winning the Conference League. This pushes the league-allocated Europa spot (which would normally go to sixth or seventh place depending on cup winners) down to seventh place. In turn, the Conference League spot that would normally go to seventh place effectively moves down to eighth place. While more technical rules apply, this is the simplified outcome.
Before factoring in Chelsea`s potential Conference League win, the spots would look like this, according to the source`s breakdown:
UCL: Teams 1-4 and the Europa League winners
EL: Team 5, Crystal Palace
UECL: Team 6
If Chelsea finishes seventh and wins the Conference League final, the initial allocation shifts:
UCL: Teams 1-4 and the Europa League winners
EL: Team 5, Crystal Palace, Chelsea as UECL winners
UECL: Team 6
Once the performance coefficient rule allowing the 5th UCL spot is factored in, the UECL spot moves down because Chelsea occupies a Europa spot via their cup win:
UCL: Teams 1-5 and the Europa League winners
EL: Team 6, Chelsea as UECL winners
UECL: Team 8
Adrian Whitmore 
Benedict Kingsley