Tuesday 6 March 2018 13:19, UK
Which Premier League clubs will be playing European football next season - and how many English sides will there be in the Champions League?
English clubs are flying high following the resumption of European competition, but how many will be on hand to maintain the revival on the continent when next season rolls around?
Here, we explain what spots are available for Premier League clubs in the Champions League and Europa League, and at what stage they will enter the respective competitions...
In normal circumstances, UEFA grants four Champions League places to English clubs who fulfil the following:
- League position - The Premier League champions will be seeded in the group stage and will be joined in the draw by the second and third-placed clubs. As of the 2018/19 season, fourth place will also secure passage to the group stages.
Clubs can also qualify for the Champions League with the following:
- Champions League win - Guarantees a place in the group stage of next season's Champions League.
- Europa League win - Guarantees a place in the group stage if the Champions League winners qualify for next season's competition through their league position, otherwise it secures a place in the play-offs.
In normal circumstances, UEFA grants three Europa League places to English clubs who fulfil the following:
- League position - A fifth-place finish in the Premier League secures a spot in the group stages.
- FA Cup win - Guarantees a spot in the group stages.
- League Cup win - Guarantees a spot in the second-qualifying round.
Note, if the winners of the FA Cup finish fifth or higher in the Premier League, their spot in the Europa League group stage goes to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
The same applies to the League Cup win. If the winners - Manchester City - finish in the top five - or top-six if the FA Cup winner finishes in the top five - their spot in the second-qualifying round of the Europa League goes to the next-highest ranked team not qualified for UEFA competitions in the Premier League.
With champions-elect City all but guaranteed a place in the top four, their victory in the League Cup final will almost certainly see their Europa League qualifying spot handed down.
Interestingly, given the current Premier League standings, sixth-place Arsenal - who City beat in the final - would benefit, filling City's place in the Europa League second-qualifying round if they don't win the Europa League this season.
Ask any Tottenham fan this question and you'll get an unequivocal answer - no! Spurs, of course, were demoted to the Europa League in 2012 despite finishing fourth after sixth-placed Chelsea won the Champions League.
A similar series of events could occur at the end of the season if English clubs win both the Champions League and Europa League and neither qualify for the Champions League as a result of their position in the Premier League.
For example, if, let's say, fifth-place Chelsea win the Champions League and sixth-place Arsenal with the Europa League, fourth-place Tottenham would transfer into the Europa League.
Following a UEFA Executive Committee decision in December 2014, as of the 2015/16 season, Fair Play no longer earns clubs a route into the Europa League.
Regardless of who wins the Premier League, Champions League, Europa League, FA Cup or League Cup, England can only have seven clubs representing them across the two European competitions.
