While Real Madrid continue to miraculously garner silverware on the continental stage, it’s been a bright period for English clubs overseas.
The Premier League has produced two Champions League winners since 2019 and five finalists since 2018. The likes of West Ham and Leicester, meanwhile, have each enjoyed deep runs in the Europa League and newly formed Conference League respectively.
Following half a decade of Spanish and German supremacy, the Premier League has emerged as Europe’s dominant division. As a result of the recent success, England currently tops UEFA’s coefficient ranking meaning that the Premier League is strongly represented in each major European competition.
There are seven European spots open to Premier League sides, but that number could rise depending on who wins domestic and continental competitions.
How do English teams qualify for the Champions League
Premier League teams advance into the Champions League if they either finish in the top four, win the Champions League, or win the Europa League.
How do English teams qualify for the Europa League
English teams typically qualify for the Europa League if they finish fifth in the Premier League, or if they win the Europa Conference League.
How do English teams qualify for the Europa Conference League
The winners of the Carabao Cup earn a spot in the Conference League.
If the FA Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League, their Europa League group stage place will go to the next highest-ranked team not qualified for Europe in the Premier League.
If the Carabao Cup winners finish in the top five of the Premier League (or top six if the above scenario occurs), their Europa Conference League playoff place will go to the next highest-ranked team not qualified for Europe in the Premier League.
The winners of each of these competitions automatically qualify for the following season’s Champions League.
If a Premier League side that finishes in the top four wins either the Champions or Europa League, their position in Europe’s premier club competition via league position will not be transferred to another team.
Should a Premier League club win the Champions League and another win the Europa League despite neither finishing in the top four, the side that finishes fourth in the Premier League will drop into the Europa League as only a maximum of five English teams can qualify for the Champions League.
This Europa League group stage place will be in addition to the one for the side that finishes fifth in the Premier League and the FA Cup victors (or the highest-ranked side that hasn’t qualified for Europe if the winners of the FA Cup have already qualified via league position). Three teams will compete in the Europa League in this scenario.
Seven English teams are competing in Europe this season across UEFA’s three major competitions.
With no Premier League team winning either the Champions or Europa League, the top four advanced into the Champions League. Those clubs were Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Tottenham.
Liverpool, who won both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, handed out their European spots to Manchester United, who finished sixth in the Premier League and joined Arsenal in the Europa League, and West Ham. The Hammers reached the Europa League semi-finals last season and finished seventh in the Premier League, meaning they got Liverpool’s spot in the Conference League.
Every Premier League side has advanced into the knockout stages of the respective European competition they’re competing in this term.
