How Premier League teams qualify for Champions League and Europa competitions for 24/25
Top four in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League right? Well this season fifth could actually be enough…
It keeps being forgotten as we always write and talk about the battle for a top-four place but the new format of the Champions League – which changes to a ‘Swiss model’ next season – means that there could possibly be five clubs from England in the Champions League.
There will be 36 clubs competing in next season’s Champions League instead of 32 and two of those extra four places will come from the best-performing nations in 23/24,
In five of the last six seasons, the Premier League would have been allocated an extra place – which would go to the team in fifth. But the Premier League may suffer this season as Newcastle United and Manchester United have both had poor campaigns so far. As it stands, the extra Champions League places would go to Turkey and Belgium.
Should England remain outside of the top two performing countries in 23/24, the top four teams in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League group stage. They will not play in qualifying.
So what about the other European competitions?
Europa League
There are two Europa League places up for grabs. One belongs to the highest-placed finisher not in the Champions League. The other goes to the winners of the FA Cup. Both enter at the group stage.
Europa Conference League
As well as all the fizzy pop they can drink, the Carabao Cup winners also receive a place in the play-off stages for the Europa Conference League.
If a team from outside the top four win the Champions League or Europa League then there will be five English representatives in the Champions League (or six if the Premier League is one of the top-performing leagues in 2023/24).
It is actually possible that seven Premier League teams could be in next season’s Champions League if the Champions League winners and Europa League winners both hail from the Premier League but all finish outside the top five.
Clear as mud?
For now, the easiest thing to comprehend is that the top four in the Premier League qualify for the Champions League.
Fifth would normally earn a Europa League place, with sixth also claiming that honour if the FA Cup winners have already qualified for Europe.
The same applies if the Carabao Cup winners have already qualified for Europe, with the next-best-placed team in the Premier League qualifying for the play-off stages of the Europa Conference League.
That place went to Aston Villa this season and they vanquished Hibernian in the play-off stages to reach the Conference League group stages.
Should they follow West Ham in winning that competition this season, they will qualify for the Europa League.
Should West Ham, Brighton or Liverpool win the Europa League, they will qualify for the Champions League.
European qualifiers for 2024/25 from Premier League as it stands
Champions League: Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal and Tottenham
Europa League: Aston Villa
Conference League: Manchester United