How Crystal Palace’s FA Cup win impacts the race for Europe in the Premier League | OneFootball

Crystal Palace’s heroic FA Cup final victory over Manchester City secured not only their first major trophy in their history but qualification for the Europa League.

The Eagles edged out Pep Guardiola’s side thanks to Eberechi Eze’s strike, though Dean Henderson sparked controversy after handling outside of the penalty area and remaining on the pitch despite a VAR check for a red card.

The result impacts the race for the European places, with Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest contending for the final four Champions League places after Liverpool, who qualify as Premier League champions.

There are also Europa League and Conference League places to settle, with Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United facing off in the Europa League final next week in Bilbao, while Chelsea battle Real Betis for the Conference League in Wroclaw.

Here’s how Premier League teams can qualify for European competition next season:

Uefa Champions League

The top five teams in the Premier League qualify for next season’s Champions League due to the league’s performances in all of Uefa’s competitions this season, and a guaranteed top-two spot in Uefa’s association club coefficient rankings, unlocking a "European Performance Spot" (EPS).

The Premier League will now have SIX clubs in next season's Champions League - five from the top five clubs in the Premier League, plus one from Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur: The winner of the 2024/25 Europa League with the final in Bilbao next week.

Here’s how the battle for a top five finish is heating up between Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, Aston Villa, Manchester City and Nottingham Forest.

Uefa Europa League

English football has two Europa League places.

One usually goes to the fifth-placed finisher in the Premier League, but this now becomes the sixth-placed team after England was handed an additional fifth Champions League spot, as detailed above.

The other Europa League place goes to the winners of the FA Cup: Crystal Palace. Given the Eagles cannot finish inside the European places through the Premier League standings, only sixth in the table will secure entry to the Europa League.

The winners of the EFL Cup also qualify for the Conference League: Newcastle United.

After ending a 56-year wait for a trophy, Eddie Howe’s side are sure of a place in Europe, but will hope to qualify for the Champions League and could even finish up in the Europa League if they finish sixth, which would unlock an extra Conference League place through the league standings.

How else can clubs make it to Europe?

The winners of the Champions League and Europa League qualify for the following season’s Champions League and the winners of the Conference League (Chelsea and Real Betis battle it out for glory in Wroclaw) are handed a place in next year’s Europa League.

If Newcastle, as the EFL Cup winners, qualify for the Champions League or Europa League via other means, as seems likely, then their Conference League place will go to the next-highest Premier League side who have not qualified for Europe, which will likely be seventh in the table. But that’s not the last hope for Premier League sides.

How Chelsea impact their Premier League rivals’ hopes for Europe

European title winners automatically qualify for Europe - but their Premier League finish qualifies them for the competition their title win earns them entry for (or the next tier up) then there is no additional place passed on.

But if the European title winners secure a Premier League spot which does not qualify them for that competition, their title win therefore earns them entry into that competition, so there is an additional place passed on.

If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish inside the top five: Chelsea’s Europa League spot for winning the Conference League is given up.

If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish sixth: Chelsea’s Europa League spot for winning the Conference League is passed on.

If Chelsea win the Conference League and finish in a Premier League position which would qualify them for the Conference League play-off (passed on from Newcastle, should they finish inside the top six): Chelsea qualify for the Europa League through their Conference League win and the Conference League play-off place is given up.