The 2024/25 Premier League final day may not be as memorable a one as years gone, with both the title and relegation decided weeks if not months ago, but at least we have something to look forward when it comes to the battle for Champions League qualification, with five teams contesting the three remaining places.
It could have been six, but Arsenal’s hard-fought win over Newcastle in their penultimate game of the season clinched the runners-up spot, meaning they join champions Liverpool in Europe’s premier competition next season.
Manchester City bounced back from the huge blow of an FA Cup final defeat to rise from sixth to third thanks to Tuesday’s game-in-hand at win at home to Bournemouth. It means five teams are separated by three points heading into the final day.
Before we look at that, let’s quickly run through how Palace’s FA Cup triumph has affected the T&Cs of the race for European qualification.
- This article is continually updated. In its original March 7 version Villa were advised at 13/2 and 40/1 to finish in the top six and top four respectively.
Why does the Premier League get a fifth Champions League spot?
Thanks to the performances of England’s top-flight clubs in Europe this term, England have a sizeable lead at the top of UEFA’s coefficient rankings, earning the Premier League a fifth place in next season’s Champions League.
Where do clubs need to finish to qualify for Europe?
Newcastle’s Carabao Cup win earlier this season at least means none of the sides involved in the final-day battle will go without European football next season, with the consolation of prizes of a Europa League place for sixth and a spot in the Conference League for seventh.
Had Palace not won at Wembley on Saturday then all five clubs would’ve been guaranteed at least a place in the Europa League, with the Conference League spot passing to the eighth-placed finishers, but it is now Oliver Glasner’s team who will feature in the UEL next season.
But, all is not lost for those hoping for an eighth-placed finish…
How many Premier League clubs will play in Europe next season?
At least nine Premier League clubs will play European football in 2025/26, with the winner of the Europa League final, Manchester United or Tottenham, entering next season’s Champions League and becoming England’s sixth representative in the competition.
Should Chelsea win the Conference League final they will qualify for next season’s Europa League.
And that could have some bearing on the Premier League’s eighth-place battle.
If Chelsea wins the Conference League and finishes seventh, the team in eighth qualifies for the Conference League.
If Chelsea win and finish sixth, an eighth-placed hopeful will need Carabao Cup winners Newcastle to finish seventh.
Any other scenario and an eighth-placed finish gets you nothing.
This is all down to UEFA calculations before ‘European Performance Spots’ are assigned – the reason England is getting a fifth Champions League place.
MANCHESTER CITY quickly recovered from defeat in the FA Cup final, helped by Arsenal’s win over Newcastle on Sunday, to beat Bournemouth and leave themselves, huge and unlikely goal difference swing aside, requiring a point at Fulham to secure a top-five finish.
- Bournemouth (H), Fulham (A)
They should be ok but a 0-0 draw at Southampton followed by that Wembley loss to Crystal Palace hardly fills you with confidence.
If not for the first-half heroics of David Raya and a sweet second-half strike from Declan Rice, the Magpies would more than likely have won and qualified for the Champions League already.
They’ll be praying Alexander Isak is fit to face Everton the final day as his absence was keenly felt at the Emirates.
Beating Manchester United in their penultimate game was a fourth win in five and means the Blues’s fate is in their own hands. However, they face the most difficult final-day fixture: a trip to a Nottingham Forest side who simply will not go away.
After reaching the semi-finals and quarter-finals of the FA Cup and Champions League respectively, Villa have won eight of their last nine Premier League matches.
Finishing up against on-the-beach duo Tottenham, who they’ve already swept aside, and Manchester United – who will have just played in the Europa League final – could ultimately prove to be crucial. An inferior goal difference means they’ll need a favour from elsewhere, too.
Each time Forest’s remarkable run seemed to be fizzling out they have pulled out a result. Having already guaranteed a place in the Conference League, victory at West Ham ensured that a final-day win over Chelsea will mean Europa League football as a bare minimum.
It looks as though two wins from their last seven league games has ultimately proved costly when it comes to the Champions League, though.
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