How Premier League Clubs Snap Up European Spots in 2024/25
Some seasons, figuring out who in the Premier League heads into which European competition feels like deciphering a secret code. This year, with extra Champions League slots and Crystal Palace’s FA Cup heroics, things got even wilder.
First off, the basics: Liverpool topped the league and are joined by Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, and whoever finishes fifth for the Champions League group stages. That’s already more than usual. England’s clubs performed so well in Europe this year that they won an extra berth — called the European Performance Spot — taking the tally to five. This means English football fans will have even more teams to follow at Europe’s top table next season.
The drama didn’t stop there. Crystal Palace pulled off a shocker, beating Manchester City to win their first FA Cup trophy. Winning the FA Cup gives Palace a ticket to the Europa League, regardless of league position. So now the Eagles will get their shot in the continent’s second-biggest club competition. Their win has a knock-on effect: Manchester City, who would normally rely on winning domestic cups or a high league finish to get into Europe, now find themselves bumped down — landing in the Conference League instead. This is a rare detour for the wealthy City squad, who usually expect bigger things.
Meanwhile, Nottingham Forest sneaked into the Conference League via their league standing. For Forest, this is more than just a consolation prize. A trip back into European football is massive, considering their rollercoaster era in the Premier League.
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There’s one more twist fans are buzzing about. The Europa League final is coming up, and it’s all-English: Tottenham versus Manchester United. Both teams already hold the advantage after successful semi-final runs. The winner of this match gets an automatic place in next season's Champions League, even if they finish outside the league’s top five. That opens the door for the unthinkable — six Premier League teams playing Champions League football if the Europa League champion comes from outside the league’s top five.
This domino effect is why the fight for European slots went right to the wire. End-of-season results and cup upsets have shifted the pecking order in interesting ways:
- Champions League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Newcastle, Chelsea, plus the fifth-placed team, and possibly the Europa League winners if outside top five.
- Europa League: Crystal Palace (FA Cup winners); the team finishing just outside the Champions League spots loses out if the Europa League winner comes from the Premier League.
- Conference League: Manchester City (bumped by Palace’s FA Cup win) and Nottingham Forest (league position).
It’s a tangled web, but that’s what makes these end-of-season grudge matches, wild upsets, and cup finals feel so alive. With English clubs having a chance to field six teams in next year’s Champions League, no other country even comes close to matching this kind of European dominance.