Aston Villa’s 3-0 win over Freiburg in the UEFA Europa League final ended a 30-year trophy drought for the club, with Unai Emery securing an incredible fifth triumph in the competition.
And the win could also have major implications for another Premier League team, by potentially earning the SIXTH-placed side a UEFA Champions League spot.
Why does Villa's Europa League triumph affect things?
Long before Wednesday night’s final, it was confirmed that fifth place in the Premier League will be given a European Performance Spot (EPS) in the UEFA Champions League, as a reward for English clubs’ collective progress in Europe this season.
See: What is the European Performance Spot?
The Europa League winners also earn qualification for next season’s Champions League, so with Villa winning the final, there could be SIX English clubs in the Champions League in 2026/27 — just like there were this season — with the sixth-placed team getting a place too.
It all depends on where Villa finish in the Premier League table on Sunday — fourth, where they currently sit, or fifth.
What happens if Villa stay fourth?
If Villa finish fourth, the European Performance Spot in the Champions League would still go to the fifth-placed team (Liverpool or AFC Bournemouth), and the sixth-placed side would qualify for the Europa League (Liverpool, Bournemouth or Brighton & Hove Albion).
The Champions League spot Villa earned by winning the Europa League would NOT get passed down the Premier League table. Instead, the club who are set to play in the Champions League qualifiers with the highest coefficient will be upgraded and go straight into the league phase. This is a process UEFA refer to as "rebalancing" and according to UEFA.com, the club who would benefit are Sporting, from Portugal.
Which PL places currently earn which UEFA competitions
| Position | Competition | Route |
| 1 | UCL | PL |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | UCL | PL |
| 3 | UCL | PL |
| 4 | UCL | PL |
| 5 | UCL | EPS |
| 6 | UEL | PL |
| 7 | UEL | PL |
| 8 | UCoL | PL |
What happens if Villa finish fifth?
If Villa were to finish fifth in the Premier League, they would not need the EPS spot in the Champions League as they have already qualified for that competition as Europa League winners.
The EPS spot would therefore be passed down to the Premier League team who finish sixth, sending them into the Champions League instead of the Europa League.
How Villa finishing fifth would change things
| Pos. | Competition | Route |
| 1 | UCL | PL |
|---|---|---|
| 2 | UCL | PL |
| 3 | UCL | PL |
| 4 | UCL | PL |
| 5 | UCL | UEL winners |
| 6 | UCL | EPS |
| 7 | UEL | PL |
| 8 | UCoL | PL |
What must happen for Villa to finish fifth?
Villa are currently fourth but would slip to fifth if they lose at Manchester City AND Liverpool win at home against Brentford on the final day. Villa and Liverpool would finish level on 62 points, and Liverpool would have a better goal difference.
As things stand, Bournemouth would be the team to benefit from this scenario as they are in sixth place on 56 points ahead of travelling to Nottingham Forest on the final day.
But Brighton are only three points behind Bournemouth, with a better goal difference, so a home win over Manchester United on the final day would give them a chance of grabbing sixth place.