Nine. That is the number of Premier League clubs that could be competing across UEFA's three club competitions next season if Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in Wednesday's Conference League final at Red Bull Arena in Leipzig (kick-off 19:00 BST).

It sounds straightforward, but the route to that figure involves enough permutations to make your head spin at this stage of the season. Here is how it breaks down.

The baseline: eight English clubs already in

Regardless of what happens in Leipzig, eight Premier League clubs have already secured European places for 2025-26. England's strong collective performance on the continent this season earned the country one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS) allocated by UEFA, guaranteeing at least five English clubs in the Champions League alone.

Second-placed Manchester City also won the FA Cup, but because City had already qualified for the Champions League via their league position, that cup berth cascaded down the table, freeing up additional places for clubs finishing sixth and seventh in the Premier League.

Where Palace fit in

Crystal Palace are set to finish outside the Premier League's top eight — meaning they have no domestic route into Europe next season. A Conference League triumph, however, earns the winners automatic entry into the following season's Europa League league phase. That would make Palace a bonus English entrant, slotting in without displacing any club that has qualified through Premier League results. Their win effectively takes the slot reserved for the Conference League title holders.

It is worth noting that Palace are no strangers to the quirks of European qualification. They earned a Europa League berth by winning last season's FA Cup, only to be demoted to the Conference League after a breach of multi-club ownership rules. Winning the competition they were bumped into would represent quite the turnaround.

The Aston Villa variable

There is one final-day caveat affecting how the European picture looks — and it hinges on where Aston Villa finish in the Premier League. Villa won this season's Europa League final, which complicates the domestic table's European allocation.

  • If Villa finish fourth: the top five enter the Champions League; sixth, seventh and Palace (with a win) enter the Europa League; eighth enters the Conference League play-off qualifying round.
  • If Villa finish fifth: the top six enter the Champions League; seventh and Palace (with a win) enter the Europa League; eighth enters the Conference League play-off qualifying round.

Either way, Palace's result in Leipzig does not alter what happens to any other English club. It simply determines whether a ninth Premier League side is added to the European roster.

The bigger picture

English clubs having as many as nine representatives across UEFA's club competitions would underline the Premier League's continued dominance at continental level. The EPS mechanism — which rewards leagues whose clubs perform well in Europe — is partly what has inflated the numbers, and this season's English clubs have done enough collectively to cash in on that system.

For Oliver Glasner's side, the prize is clear and historic: a first European trophy for Crystal Palace, and a place among England's contingent in the Europa League next term. The market unsurprisingly reflects Palace as underdogs against Rayo Vallecano, but football finals have a habit of ignoring such things.

Frequently asked

How many English clubs will be in Europe next season if Crystal Palace win the Conference League?
Nine Premier League clubs would compete across UEFA's three competitions — Champions League, Europa League and Conference League — if Crystal Palace beat Rayo Vallecano in the final.
Does Crystal Palace winning the Conference League affect other Premier League clubs' European places?
No. Palace would take the slot reserved for the Conference League winners rather than displacing any club that has qualified through the Premier League table, so no other English side loses out.
Why were Crystal Palace in the Conference League rather than the Europa League this season?
Palace earned Europa League qualification by winning the FA Cup last season, but were subsequently demoted to the Conference League following a breach of UEFA's multi-club ownership rules.