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Courtesy of the official Premier League site, a detailed explanation (see below) of how European qualifying will work this season.
For Newcastle United fans, Eddie Howe and his players have done a remarkable job to get NUFC into such a competitive position, considering all the obstacles thrown in their path this season.
Only 11 days until the Premier League season ends and Newcastle United sitting currently in sixth position in the table.
The official Premier League site giving this simple explanation as to what this all now means for Newcastle United and the other English teams hoping to be playing in Europe next season…
Official Premier League site giving this explanation of Premier League clubs and European qualifying – 7 May 2024:
‘With fourth-placed Aston Villa closing in on a UEFA Champions League (UCL) spot and only six points between Tottenham Hotspur in fifth and Manchester United in eighth, the race to qualify for European football next season is set for a thrilling conclusion.
If Spurs fail to win any of their three remaining fixtures, Villa will be guaranteed Champions League football next season if they pick up one point across their final two matches to secure fourth spot. Even if Villa lose both of their fixtures, Spurs still would need seven points and a swing in goal difference to leapfrog them, or to win all of their remaining fixtures.
Whoever finishes fifth in the Premier League, currently Spurs, is guaranteed a place in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) group stages next season.
As it stands, the team in sixth place at the end of the season, currently Newcastle United, will earn a spot in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL). This is the spot that is transferred over from the EFL Cup winners, Liverpool, who are guaranteed a place in the Champions League, to the club in the highest league place not qualifying for a UEFA club competition (which is currently sixth).
Impact of FA Cup winners
However, whether sixth place qualifies for the Europa Conference League or Europa League depends on the outcome of the FA Cup final between Man Utd and Manchester City.
If Man City lift the FA Cup on Saturday 25 May, the place in the Europa League group stages that the FA Cup winners earn is transferred to the highest-placed league spot without qualifying for a UEFA competition. As the UEL is of a higher rank than the UECL, sixth place in the Premier League will qualify for the Europa League, with the Europa Conference League spot moving down a place to seventh.
Should Man Utd triumph at Wembley Stadium and finish fifth or sixth in the Premier League, they will qualify for the Europa League, while the other team finishing in the top six will join them in that competition, with the club in seventh going into the Europa Conference League.
But if Man Utd beat Man City in the FA Cup final and finish seventh or eighth in the Premier League, only the side in fifth will join United in the Europa League, with the team finishing sixth playing in the Europa Conference League next season.
No extra place if Villa win Conference League
If Villa win this season’s Europa Conference League, which earns a place in next season’s Europa League, that place will not be passed back to the Premier League table.
Unai Emery’s side lost 4-2 at home to Olympiacos in last Thursday’s semi-final first leg, with the second leg in Greece this Thursday.’
Whilst I think getting into the Europa League would be great, I have to admit, I wasn’t convinced it would be a great idea for Newcastle United to go into the Europa Conference League next season.
Now I have looked into the schedule further, I find the idea even less attractive.
If Newcastle United did qualify for the Europa Conference league next season, they would have a two-legged play-off on 22 August and 29 August (the draw for that would be on 5 August to find out our opponents).
Whilst we don’t have the dates yet of all next season’s Premier League matches, apart from knowing the first game of the season will be on the weekend of Saturday 17 August, we can look at what Aston Villa’s early season schedule was last season.
12 August 2023 – Newcastle away
20 August 2023 – Everton home
23 August 2023 – Hibs away (Conference play-off)
27 August 2023 – Burnley away
31 August 2023 – Hibs home (Conference play-off)
3 September 2023 – Liverpool away
I look at Villa having to play those five matches in two weeks (20 August – 3 September) and not ideal right at the start of the season, especially after having been hammered 5-1 by Newcastle United in their opening game!
Also, whilst Villa got the shortest and easiest of trips up the road in Edinburgh, no doubt if Newcastle United end up in those Conference play-offs, we’ll get somewhere as far away as it is possible to get…

 
