Crystal Palace's 1-0 win over Manchester City in the FA Cup final carries significant implications for other Premier League clubs’ hopes of qualifying for Europe next season.
Palace will now claim one of English football’s two places in the UEFA Europa League (UEL). The other traditionally goes to the team finishing fifth in the Premier League.
But this season, the team who finish fifth in the Premier League will be awarded a spot in the UEFA Champions League (UCL).
This is because of Premier League clubs’ strong performances in UEFA competitions this season, which has earned an additional UCL place for next season (via the "European Performance Spot").
So with the top five teams going into the UCL, the club finishing sixth will go into the UEL.
| Position Pos | Club | Played Pl | GD | Points Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 |
Arsenal
ARS
|
37 | +34 | 71 |
| 3 |
Man City
MCI
|
37 | +26 | 68 |
| 4 |
Newcastle
NEW
|
37 | +22 | 66 |
| 5 |
Chelsea
CHE
|
37 | +20 | 66 |
| 6 |
Aston Villa
AVL
|
37 | +9 | 66 |
| 7 |
Nott'm Forest
NFO
|
37 | +13 | 65 |
| 8 |
Brighton
BHA
|
37 | +4 | 58 |
| 9 |
Brentford
BRE
|
37 | +9 | 55 |
| 10 |
Fulham
FUL
|
37 | +2 | 54 |
| 11 |
Bournemouth
BOU
|
37 | +10 | 53 |
Still with us? So, this is where the outcome of the FA Cup final will affect the European hopes of the four clubs positioned eighth to 11th – Brentford, Brighton & Hove Albion, AFC Bournemouth and Fulham.
What happens if Palace win the FA Cup?
Palace are 12th in the Premier League table and the highest they can finish is ninth place, which will not qualify them for European football.
So, if Palace beat City at Wembley, the second UEL spot will be theirs for lifting the FA Cup.
What happens if Man City win the FA Cup?
Man City are currently fourth in the Premier League and can finish no lower than seventh.
If they were to beat Palace AND qualify for the UCL or UEL via their league position, their UEL spot for winning the FA Cup would go to the next-highest Premier League side who have not qualified for Europe.
This is nominally seventh place, unless City finish there themselves.
Now, let’s introduce another element, involving Newcastle United.
Newcastle are guaranteed a top-seven place but have already qualified for the UEFA Conference League (UCoL), as a reward for winning the EFL Cup earlier in the season.
If Man City beat Palace, Newcastle will qualify either for the UCL (if they finish in the top five) or UEL (if they finish sixth or seventh).
The same protocol applies to the UCoL spot Newcastle claimed for winning the EFL Cup: it goes to the next-highest Premier League side who have not qualified for Europe, which will be eighth. This is the position that Brentford, Brighton, Bournemouth and Fulham are all fighting for.
For Brentford and Bournemouth, their first appearance in a UEFA club competition is up for grabs, while Brighton would be entering Europe for only the second time, and Fulham for the fourth time.
That is why fans of these four teams might well be cheering on Pep Guardiola’s men in the FA Cup final on Saturday.
