The Premier League may experience a never-before-seen situation as a result of Man United and Spurs’ Europa League victories.
Following victories in their semi-final first-leg matches, Manchester United and Spurs may face one other in the Europa League final.
Spurs and Manchester United have advanced to the Europa League final on May 21 in Bilbao after winning their respective semifinal matches on Thursday night.
Spurs drew first blood by defeating Bodo/Glimt 3-1 at home, while United defeated 10-man Athletic Club 3-0 on the road in Bilbao. And it means that, in terms of European football, the Premier League may be in for a never-before-seen situation.
Thanks to one of the two European Performance Spots (EPS) that were introduced for the current season, Arsenal’s victory over Real Madrid in the quarterfinals guaranteed that the top five teams in the Premier League would advance to the Champions League the next season.
With Bologna and Borussia Dortmund participating in the Champions League after placing fifth in their respective leagues, Italy and Germany profited this season.
Therefore, entry into Europe’s top club tournament will be granted to the Premier League’s fifth-place finisher.
How many Premier League teams are allowed to compete in the Champions League the following season?
As of right now, Chelsea, Manchester City, Arsenal, Newcastle, and Liverpool will all compete in the Champions League the next season. Additionally, the victor of a possible all-English Europa League final would become the sixth Premier League team to qualify for the Champions League the following season, as United and Spurs seem certain to finish outside of European spots following subpar domestic seasons.
In the event if Arsenal advanced to the finals and won the Champions League but somehow finished outside the top five, that number would rise to an unprecedented seven in the highest competition for European football, according to Dale Johnson of ESPN.
How many Premier League teams are allowed to compete in Europe the following season?
There are numerous possible outcomes, such as whether Chelsea wins the Conference League and places in the top five, the final standings of Carabao Cup winners Newcastle, and the performance of FA Cup finalists Manchester City.
According to ESPN, it is “highly improbable” yet feasible that England will field 11 teams in all three European events the next season.
The top five, the Europa League, and the Champions League winners (Arsenal) in the main competition would make up that. The FA Cup and Conference League winners would qualify for the Europa League, while Newcastle, the Carabao Cup winners, would have to make due with the third UEFA club tournament.
Realistically speaking, 10 is probably the most that can be done because Arsenal would have to experience an incredible collapse in order to lose out on domestic European qualification. In this case, Chelsea would need to win the Conference League yet fall outside of the top six, which is still feasible as the season draws to a close.
Teams ranked one through five would qualify for the Champions League through the Europa League, followed by United or Spurs in sixth place, the FA Cup winners, and Chelsea in the supplementary climax.
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