The Blues are currently in fifth position in the Premier League, which is good enough to guarantee them a spot in the Champions League the following year.
If Chelsea places in the top five in the Premier League, they may be disqualified from the Champions League the following season.
With their current league ranking of fifth, Enzo Maresca’s team would automatically qualify for the Champions League via UEFA’s coefficient system.
They will undoubtedly place at least eighth, which would assure them a spot in the Conference League.
Later this month, the Blues will play Real Betis in the Conference League final; a win there would guarantee them a spot in the Europa League.
If Chelsea qualifies, however, there are two possible reasons why they would not be able to participate in the Champions League; the first is that they might not be able to play in Europe at all.
Due to alleged expenditure restriction violations, the Blues could face a UEFA fine, according to a Times investigation last month. UEFA would not permit them to include revenue from the sale of their women’s team or hotels to family companies on their balance sheet.
A ban from European football is allegedly a possibility, though it is less likely. Instead, the Blues are more likely to be subject to a stringent expenditure plan and receive a financial penalty, with more sanctions threatening if the plan is broken.
According to BBC Sport, Chelsea and UEFA are currently having more discussions on their ownership structure.
In addition to owning the majority of the Blues, BlueCo is also the owner of Strasbourg, a French team led by manager Liam Rosenior that is making an unexpected run for Champions League qualifying.
Two teams owned by the same entity are prohibited from participating in the same competition by Article 5.02 of UEFA’s rules.
According to reports, the talks are expected to result in Strasbourg being placed under a “blind” trust, with “any conflicts like board members or staff working across the two clubs” eliminated.
UEFA would have the authority to exclude either Chelsea or Strasbourg from their competition if a settlement could not be reached.
A similar situation might involve Nice and Manchester United, both of which are at least partially owned by Sir Jim Ratcliffe and INEOS, prior to this season’s Europa League. In this scenario, the team that finishes higher in their league standings would be given the European spot.
After Ratcliffe placed Nice into a different structure, UEFA allowed both clubs to participate in the competition.
Although there is currently no indication that Strasbourg and Chelsea will reach a different agreement, the French team’s requirement to place third in order to qualify for the Champions League may at least pose a problem for Blues chairman Todd Boehly and the other owners.
In the worst situation, Maresca’s team would then need to ‘ensure’ their place by finishing higher than fourth.
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