Crystal Palace are one win away from making history, and if Oliver Glasner's side beat Rayo Vallecano in Wednesday's Conference League final at the Red Bull Arena in Leipzig, the ripple effect across English football's European qualification picture is worth understanding clearly.
Nine English clubs in Europe — but Palace's spot is a bonus
Eight Premier League clubs have already secured places across UEFA's three club competitions next season. A Palace win pushes that number to nine, but — and this is the crucial detail — it does not come at the expense of any other English side. Palace would take the Conference League holders' designated berth, slotting in as an additional English representative rather than displacing anyone already in the queue. The noises out of UEFA are straightforward on this: it is effectively a free pass for English football.
Should Palace lift the trophy, they would enter next season's Europa League at the league phase. That is a significant upgrade from the Conference League they have been competing in this term — a competition Palace were demoted to, it should be noted, after a breach of multi-club ownership rules cost them their original Europa League place earned by winning the FA Cup last season.
How England's elite performance spot changes the Champions League picture
England's clubs performed strongly enough in European competition this season to earn one of two Elite Performance Spots, meaning at least five English teams will enter next season's Champions League. Manchester City, who finished second in the Premier League, also won the FA Cup — and because City had already qualified for the Champions League through their league position, that FA Cup place freed up an additional spot further down the table.
The result is that sixth and seventh place in the Premier League are currently in line to qualify for the Europa League. That could yet shift on the final day of the season depending on where Aston Villa — who claimed the Europa League title on Wednesday — finish in the table.
The Aston Villa variable
Villa's European triumph adds a layer of complexity to the final-day permutations. If Villa finish fourth in the Premier League, the top five enter the Champions League, with sixth, seventh and a potential Conference League-winning Palace all entering the Europa League, and eighth dropping into the Conference League play-off qualifying round.
If Villa finish fifth, the top six go into the Champions League. In that scenario, only seventh and Palace — assuming a win — would enter the Europa League, with eighth again taking the Conference League play-off route.
In short, Palace's result in Leipzig does not alter what happens to the clubs above them. It simply determines whether English football sends eight or nine clubs into UEFA competition, with Palace themselves moving from domestic obscurity in terms of European qualification to the Europa League's league phase in one evening's work.
What it would mean for Palace
For a club of Crystal Palace's resources and recent history, reaching a European final is already a remarkable achievement. Winning it would deliver their first ever European trophy and secure a step up in continental football for next season. The market has taken notice, and the squad Glasner has assembled will be aware that the outcome in Leipzig carries consequences well beyond a single evening in Germany.
Kick-off on Wednesday evening is the moment that settles the question for English football's European landscape — and for Palace, potentially the biggest night in the club's existence.
FAQs
Frequently asked
- Will Crystal Palace winning the Conference League take a European spot away from another Premier League club?
- No. If Palace win, they take the Conference League holders' designated Europa League place, acting as a bonus English club in European competition rather than replacing any side that has already qualified through the Premier League.
- Which competition would Crystal Palace enter next season if they win the Conference League final?
- Crystal Palace would enter the league phase of next season's UEFA Europa League — a step up from the Conference League they competed in this season.
- How many English clubs will be in European competition next season?
- At least eight Premier League clubs have already qualified across the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League. A Crystal Palace victory on Wednesday would take that total to nine.