
The Football Faithful
·17 March 2025
What does Newcastle cup win mean for European places in Premier League

The Football Faithful
·17 March 2025
Newcastle United assured themselves of a spot in European football next season with victory over Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday.
The Magpies ended their 70-year wait for a major domestic trophy with a 2-1 win at Wembley Stadium, sparking scenes of jubilation among the Toon faithful.
It won’t be at the forefront of their minds right now, but Newcastle are now guaranteed a place in the play-off round of the Uefa Europa Conference League in 2025/26, no matter where they finish in the Premier League.
Their final standing in the table could have a knock-on effect for other clubs when it comes to European qualification.
If Newcastle finish in the top five this season, their Conference League playoff place will go to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for Europe in the Premier League, most likely to be the team that finishes eighth.
This will also be the case if they finish in the top six and the team that wins the FA Cup finishes in the top five.
Here’s where things get a bit wild: over half of the Premier League could be playing European football next season. That’s an unlikely outcome, but is a possibility at this juncture.
Since the expansion of the Champions League from 32 to 36 teams, Uefa have granted an extra two qualification spots to leagues based on performance in Europe. The Premier League is on course to receive one of these spots. As things stand, Man City would benefit.
Another spot will be granted if an English club wins the Champions League while finishing outside the top five, and another again if an English club wins the Europa League in the same circumstances. That means there could be seven Premier League teams in next year’s Champions League and ten playing in Europe in total.
That could turn in 11 if the following happens:
This would mean seven Champions League spots, three in the Europa League, and one place in the Conference League.
Read More – The most memorable League Cup final moments ever