As the 2023/2024 Premier League season comes to a close on Sunday, Chelsea, Newcastle, and Manchester United will all be looking to secure a place in European competition next season.
Tottenham have already locked up a top-six finish, guaranteeing them a spot in the Europa League.
Chelsea’s Path to Europe
Chelsea have made a remarkable late-season surge, winning their last four games to climb from 11th place in March all the way to the brink of European qualification.
Currently in sixth place, Chelsea will qualify for the Europa League if they win against Bournemouth. They could even finish fifth and leapfrog Tottenham if the Spurs lose to Sheffield United.
A draw against Bournemouth could also see Chelsea secure sixth and a Europa League spot, but they would need Manchester United to not win the FA Cup.
If Chelsea lose and Newcastle win against Brentford, Chelsea would finish seventh and would need Manchester City to win the FA Cup in order to qualify for the Conference League.
Newcastle’s Path to Europe
Newcastle have recovered from their early-season struggles and remain in contention for Europe. To qualify, they must better Manchester United’s result and hope Chelsea lose to Bournemouth or Manchester City win the FA Cup.
A Newcastle win combined with a Chelsea loss would see Newcastle finish sixth and secure a guaranteed European spot. Finishing seventh and having Manchester City win the FA Cup would put Newcastle in the Conference League. Failing to better United’s result would mean missing out on Europe altogether.
Manchester United’s Path to Europe
Manchester United have struggled to maintain sixth place all season and now face the risk of missing out on Europe entirely.
A win against Brighton is crucial – if they fail to surpass Newcastle’s result, they must win the FA Cup to qualify for the Europa League. A poor result at Brighton would leave them eighth, needing an FA Cup victory to earn a Conference League spot.
Overtaking Newcastle would guarantee United a European place regardless of the FA Cup, but a seventh-place finish combined with a cup final loss would relegate them to the Conference League.
