- There’s a possibility that a bottom-half side could qualify on league position
- The scenario would require English teams to claim all three European titles
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A staggering ELEVEN Premier League teams could be celebrating European qualification come the conclusion of the season on May 25.
Last season saw the top six finishers secure their spot in European competitions, as well as eighth-placed Manchester United, who earned the right to play Europa League football after triumphing in the FA Cup.
However, if the circumstances are just right, the English contingent could dominate the make-up of UEFA competitions next term.
Fans are accustomed to the Premier League’s top four signifying the golden gate for Champions League football.
Fifth-place earns a spot in the Europa League along with the winners of the FA Cup, while the Carabao Cup champions are awarded a place in the Europa Conference League play-offs.
But as of the 2023/24 campaign, there are more spots up for grabs for two of UEFA’s domestic leagues. These are known as a European Performance Spot (EPS), and were last year nabbed by the Bundesliga and Serie A due to their superior seasonal coefficient ranking.
A grand total of 11 Premier League teams could be competing in Europe next season
Bundesliga side Borussia Dortmund and Serie A outfit Bologna were the two sides granted Champions League qualification via a European Performance spot last campaign
This season, the Premier League look guaranteed to secure an EPS, which will allow a fifth side to compete in the Champions League. But things might not stop there.
If one of the English sides competing in this season’s Champions League finishes outside the top five but wins the competition, they will qualify as defending European champions – a sixth Premier League team in the continent’s premier competition.
With Liverpool and Arsenal sitting in the top two, Aston Villa would be the likeliest candidate for this to happen to – who go into their last 16 second leg against Club Brugge 3-1 to the good this week.
And there could be a seventh. If Tottenham Hotspur or Manchester United – currently 13th and 14th respectively – put aside their domestic struggles to win the Europa League, they would be granted a place in the Champions League as is standard.
So in this remarkable scenario, that’s seven in the Champions League, plus two in the Europa League and one in the Conference League. But incredibly enough, there’s the possibility of that final 11th English team finding qualification.
With triumph in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup granting qualification to the Europa League and Conference League respectively, we would first need to see both domestic cup winners already having qualified for Europe via their league position. These places would drop to those lower down the table.
We would then require Chelsea to complete the English whitewash of European competitions and lift the Conference League – a more than plausible feat – but they’d also have to finish outside a Europa League spot in the Premier League.
Add the EPS to the mix and providing the stars align, England would have 11 clubs in European competitions next season.
Aston Villa would likely need to win the Champions League but also finish outside the top five
Tottenham or Man United could also defy the odds and secure a spot in Europe’s premier competition despite their poor domestic performance by winning the Europa League
Should the stars align, the likes of Crystal Palace – who have never qualified for a European competition proper – could earn a place in continental football based on league position
So, to run it down. The top five are in the Champions League, while sixth and seventh go into the Europa League via league position or winning the FA Cup.
Then eighth, ninth and tenth earn either Champions League or Europa League qualification through winning their European tournament – leaving eleventh place for that final Conference League spot.
It would take a remarkable turn of events for this to happen, but there is an outside chance that a bottom-half team will be playing in Europe next term, purely based on league position.
Crystal Palace currently reside in that potentially valuable spot, but will have the likes of Fulham and Brentford to battle with should the likes of Man United or Spurs shoot up the table to make this almost inconceivable outcome come to fruition.
