The Premier League looks set to miss out on an extra Champions League place next season, so which teams are in contention to qualify for the European competition?
11:39 p.m., United Kingdom, Wednesday April 24, 2024
How many Premier League clubs will qualify for the new Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Conference League next season and will seventh place earn them a place in Europe?
With Manchester City And Arsenal eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Liverpool And Western Ham exiting the Europa League at the same stage, the Premier League’s chances of securing an additional Champions League place are now extremely slim.
So, assuming no additional places are available for this competition, here’s how many European places are up for grabs and who could get them…
Champions League – four places
The Champions League is moving from a 32-team competition to a 36-team competition next season (more on that below), but the Premier League is now unlikely to secure a fifth qualifying spot additional based on coefficient ranking. the top four teams in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
They will all enter directly into the new championship phase of the competition, with no qualifying or play-off rounds required.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City And Aston Villa are currently vying for a place in the Champions League.
Tottenhamhowever, are still in contention for a top-four spot.
Europa League – two places
Fifth place in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League next seasononce again, the team enters directly into the new league stage, rather than having to play an additional qualifying or play-off match. Tottenham are currently able to occupy this position.
With seven points difference between Tottenham and sixth Manchester Unitedthe identity of the top five is, at least for now, apparently settled.
The winners of the FA Cup also participate in the Europa League.
If the FA Cup winners finish in the Premier League top five – and therefore qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League thanks to its league ranking – their Europa League place for FA Cup glory will pass to the highest-ranked Premier League team not competing in Europe.
It is currently sixth-placed Manchester United.
What if Aston Villa won the Europa Conference League?
There is a bonus place in the Europa League available should Aston Villa winning the Europa Conference League and not finishing in the Champions League or Europa League qualifying places.
A victory in this competition would allow them to access the Europa League next season.
If Villa qualifies for the Champions League or Europa League, their bonus Europa League qualification spot would be not be transferred to another Premier League team.
UEFA Conference League – one place
There is still one place available for Premier League teams in the UEFA Conference League – note the subtle name change – next season.
Qualification for this tournament is given to Carabao Cup winners. However, with Liverpool on course for a Champions League place, this qualifying spot will pass to the next highest ranked team that has not qualified for Europe.
This would currently be Manchester United, which occupies sixth place in the Premier League. However, they can win the FA Cup and qualify for the Europa League or lose to Manchester City, who are on course to finish in the top four and the place will be awarded to sixth place.
In this case, the UEFA Conference League place would drop to seventh place, currently occupied by Newcastle.
How does the new Champions League format work?
By increasing the total number of teams from 32 to 36 in the Champions League, the most significant change will be the transformation of the traditional group stage into a single championship stage including all participating teams.
Each club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league matches against eight different opponents (four home matches, four away) instead of the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.
The top eight teams in the league will automatically qualify for the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will compete in two-legged play-offs to secure their path to the round of 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25 to 36 are eliminated from all competitions.
Are the Europa League and the Europa Conference League also changing?
Similar changes will be made to the Europa League and Europa Conference League formats, with 36 teams each.
Europa League teams will play eight matches against eight different opponents in the league stage.
In the Europa Conference League – renamed the UEFA Conference League – teams will play six matches against six different opponents in the league stage. UEFA Conference League matches will be played between September and December.
The knockout stage of the competitions will run throughout the second half of the season and culminate at the end of the campaign, as is currently the case.
The Premier League looks set to miss out on an extra Champions League place next season, so which teams are in contention to qualify for the European competition?
11:39 p.m., United Kingdom, Wednesday April 24, 2024
How many Premier League clubs will qualify for the new Champions League, Europa League and UEFA Conference League next season and will seventh place earn them a place in Europe?
With Manchester City And Arsenal eliminated from the quarter-finals of the Champions League and Liverpool And Western Ham exiting the Europa League at the same stage, the Premier League’s chances of securing an additional Champions League place are now extremely slim.
So, assuming no additional places are available for this competition, here’s how many European places are up for grabs and who could get them…
Champions League – four places
The Champions League is moving from a 32-team competition to a 36-team competition next season (more on that below), but the Premier League is now unlikely to secure a fifth qualifying spot additional based on coefficient ranking. the top four teams in the Premier League will qualify for the Champions League.
They will all enter directly into the new championship phase of the competition, with no qualifying or play-off rounds required.
Arsenal, Liverpool, Manchester City And Aston Villa are currently vying for a place in the Champions League.
Tottenhamhowever, are still in contention for a top-four spot.
Europa League – two places
Fifth place in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League next seasononce again, the team enters directly into the new league stage, rather than having to play an additional qualifying or play-off match. Tottenham are currently able to occupy this position.
With seven points difference between Tottenham and sixth Manchester Unitedthe identity of the top five is, at least for now, apparently settled.
The winners of the FA Cup also participate in the Europa League.
If the FA Cup winners finish in the Premier League top five – and therefore qualify for the Champions League or the Europa League thanks to its league ranking – their Europa League place for FA Cup glory will pass to the highest-ranked Premier League team not competing in Europe.
It is currently sixth-placed Manchester United.
What if Aston Villa won the Europa Conference League?
There is a bonus place in the Europa League available should Aston Villa winning the Europa Conference League and not finishing in the Champions League or Europa League qualifying places.
A victory in this competition would allow them to access the Europa League next season.
If Villa qualifies for the Champions League or Europa League, their bonus Europa League qualification spot would be not be transferred to another Premier League team.
UEFA Conference League – one place
There is still one place available for Premier League teams in the UEFA Conference League – note the subtle name change – next season.
Qualification for this tournament is given to Carabao Cup winners. However, with Liverpool on course for a Champions League place, this qualifying spot will pass to the next highest ranked team that has not qualified for Europe.
This would currently be Manchester United, which occupies sixth place in the Premier League. However, they can win the FA Cup and qualify for the Europa League or lose to Manchester City, who are on course to finish in the top four and the place will be awarded to sixth place.
In this case, the UEFA Conference League place would drop to seventh place, currently occupied by Newcastle.
How does the new Champions League format work?
By increasing the total number of teams from 32 to 36 in the Champions League, the most significant change will be the transformation of the traditional group stage into a single championship stage including all participating teams.
Each club will now be guaranteed a minimum of eight league matches against eight different opponents (four home matches, four away) instead of the previous six matches against three teams, played on a home-and-away basis.
The top eight teams in the league will automatically qualify for the round of 16, while teams finishing ninth to 24th will compete in two-legged play-offs to secure their path to the round of 16 of the competition.
Teams ranked 25 to 36 are eliminated from all competitions.
Are the Europa League and the Europa Conference League also changing?
Similar changes will be made to the Europa League and Europa Conference League formats, with 36 teams each.
Europa League teams will play eight matches against eight different opponents in the league stage.
In the Europa Conference League – renamed the UEFA Conference League – teams will play six matches against six different opponents in the league stage. UEFA Conference League matches will be played between September and December.
The knockout stage of the competitions will run throughout the second half of the season and culminate at the end of the campaign, as is currently the case.