Which Premier League teams will qualify for the Champions League?
Thanks to England’s strong UEFA co-efficient score this season, FIVE teams will qualify for the Champions League through their Premier League finishing position.
Right now, that’s Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Newcastle and Chelsea.
How the top-five race is looking from third-placed Newcastle down
Could the Premier League have more than five teams in the Champions League?
Yes! If Tottenham or Man Utd win the Europa League they will qualify for the Champions League as a result of victory in that competition.
With neither Tottenham nor Man Utd set to finish in the top five of the Premier League, that would mean SIX Premier League clubs would be playing in the Champions League.
Arsenal have been given a 99.96 per cent chance of finishing in the top five by Opta’s supercomputer. But in the unlikely event they slipped out of the top five and won the Champions League, they would also book a spot in that competition next season as tournament winners. Coupled with a Europa League win for Tottenham or Man Utd, that would give the Premier League SEVEN Champions League spots.
Which Premier League teams will qualify for the Europa League?
The FA Cup winners and the team which finishes sixth in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League.
Nottingham Forest are currently sixth.
In the unlikely event Arsenal finish sixth but win the Champions League (and thus qualify for that competition again), their Europa League qualification spot will be passed down to seventh.
It’s Crystal Palace and Man City in the FA Cup final.
If Crystal Palace win it, they’ll be in the Europa League. They are currently unlikely to finish in a position in the Premier League which would qualify them for European competition.
Crystal Palace will qualify for the Europa League if they win the FA Cup
If Man City win the FA Cup but qualify for the Champions League by finishing in the top five, their Europa League spot will be passed on to the team which finishes seventh. That’s currently Aston Villa.
(We’ll come to it shortly but a City win and top-five finish plus a top-six finish for Newcastle would also lead to the Conference League play-off place being handed down to eighth. So there’s the prospect a FA Cup win for Crystal Palace could deny Fulham (currently eighth) or their big rivals Brighton – just behind Fulham on goal difference – a place in Europe!)
If Chelsea win the UEFA Conference League they will qualify for the Europa League – but they will only take that spot if they don’t finish in the top five of the Premier League, which would qualify them for the Champions League. If they do finish in the top five – or qualify for the Europa League through their league position – their Europa League place for winning the UEFA Conference League does NOT get passed on.
Which Premier League teams will qualify for the UEFA Conference League?
Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win came with a place in the UEFA Conference League play-offs
Newcastle have already guaranteed themselves a Conference League play-off berth by winning the Carabao Cup.
Of course, they’re currently in the top five and will be hoping to qualify for either the Champions League or Europa League through their final league position.
If Newcastle finish in the top six, their Conference League play-off place will be passed on to the team in seventh. That’s currently Aston Villa. However, if Man City win the FA Cup and finish in the top six, seventh-place will take City’s Europa League spot and Newcastle’s UEFA Conference League play-off place will be passed on to eighth, which is currently Fulham.
If Man City were to win the FA Cup but finish seventh, Newcastle would be in the top six and that Conference League place would be passed down to eighth.
How Chelsea’s finishing position affects the permutations…
Chelsea are favourites to win the UEFA Conference League
Two key rules to keep in mind for this bit:
European title winners get a place in Europe – but if they finish in a Premier League spot which qualifies them for the competition their title win earns them entry into (or the next tier up) there is no additional place passed on.
If the European title winners finish in a Premier League spot which does not qualify them for the competition their title win earns them entry into there is an additional place.
So…
Chelsea can qualify for the Champions League as a top-five finisher. If they do that and win the UEFA Conference League, their Europa League spot for winning the Conference League is given up.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth, they qualify for the Europa League through their Conference League win and their league position entry to the Europa League is passed on.
If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish in a Premier League position which would qualify them for the Conference League play-off (passed on from Newcastle), they would qualify for the Europa League through their Conference League win and the Conference League play-off place would be given up.