10/05/2025
What happens if Chelsea finishes Fifth position and either Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League????
The Premier League received five allocations for the 2025/26 Champions League campaign after all English teams performed brilliantly in Europe — including Chelsea’s brilliant run in the Conference League.
So, if Manchester United or Tottenham win the Europa League, will the 5th-placed team drop to the Europa League?
The answer is no. Below is the breakdown of the number of Premier League teams that will participate in Europe next season.
Champions League qualified teams (as it currently stands):
1st (Liverpool)
2nd (Arsenal)
3rd (Newcastle)
4th (Man City)
5th (Chelsea)
Europa League qualified teams (as it currently stands):
6th (Nottingham Forest)
The Premier League will send only one team to the Europa League next season, as they are set to have five teams in the UCL, but this number can increase to three for these reasons: FA Cup winners and Conference League winners.
Crystal Palace will be the second team to qualify for the Europa League if they beat Man City in the FA Cup final. If Chelsea win the Conference League, they join Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace in EL.
However, if Chelsea win the Conference League and still finish in the top five, then the 7th-placed team will participate in the Europa League instead of the Conference League. The same applies if Man City win the FA Cup and finish in the top five.
Conference League qualified teams (as things stand):
7th (Aston Villa) and the Carabao Cup winners (Newcastle United). If Newcastle finish in the top five, then the team in 8th position qualifies for the Conference League.
If Tottenham or Manchester United win the Europa League, then six teams from the Premier League will participate in the Champions League. It is thus possible that the Premier League can send seven teams to the Champions League in a single season:
1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 5th (extra spot as a result of EPS)
Europa League winners (Tottenham or Manchester United) who finished outside the top five (6th)