The 2024 FA Cup final will take place on Saturday, May 25 at 3 pm local time at Wembley Stadium in London.
Manchester City, the newly crowned Premier League champions and holders of the competition, once again face arch-rivals Manchester United. Pep Guardiola’s men beat the Red Devils in the 2023 final 2-1 thanks to a double from Ilkay Gundogan.
Erik ten Hag oversaw United’s worst Premier League result in the 2023/24 campaign as they finished eighth in the table and subsequently failed to qualify for any European competition next season.
There is one last chance to play European football in the 2024/25 season, but it would be at the expense of the fortunes of Chelsea and Newcastle United, so they will probably be rooting for Manchester City this week.
The Jugo Mobile looks at how a United win in the FA Cup final could change things.
Are Chelsea and Newcastle in Europe?
Chelsea finished the Premier League season in sixth place in the Premier League table, one place ahead of Newcastle United. Provisionally, that means the Blues qualify for next season’s UEFA Europa League, while Newcastle earn a place in the Conference League.
However, the result of the FA Cup final could change the situation.
How the FA Cup final between Man City and Man United affects Premier League teams qualifying for Europe
FA Cup winners earn an automatic place in the following season’s Europa League, one of only two places in the competition awarded to English teams. Given the way the Premier League season has unfolded, that means Chelsea and Newcastle’s places in Europe next season are under threat, depending on the result at Wembley this week.
What happens if Manchester City wins the FA Cup?
Ultimately, nothing changes. As City have qualified for next season’s UEFA Champions League, they would give up the invitation to play in the Europa League that winning the FA Cup would give them. That would mean that the two Europa League places would go to the highest-ranked teams in the Premier League that did not qualify for the Champions League, i.e. Tottenham and Chelseawho finished fifth and sixth. Newcastlewho finished seventh in the league, would qualify for the Conference League.
What happens if Man United win the FA Cup?
This is where things would change. United finished eighth in the league, outside the qualification places for European competition. That means that if they win the FA Cup, they would earn a place in next season’s Europa League.
As only two English teams can qualify for that tournament, they would be joined by Tottenhamwho finished fifth in the league. Chelsea then he would go to the Conference League, and Newcastle I would lose Europe completely.
Which Premier League teams have qualified for Europe?
As of May 19, the last day of the Premier League season, these are the English teams occupying the qualification places for the 2024/25 European competitions.
Champions League: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
European League: Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea (if Manchester City win the FA Cup final)
Conference League: Chelsea, Newcastle (if Manchester City win the FA Cup final)
Premier League final table 2023/24
| Pos. | Equipment | Points | Matches Juice |
Goals Noted |
Goal Difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | city of manchester | 91 | 38 | 96 | +62 |
| 2. | Arsenal | 89 | 38 | 91 | +62 |
| 3. | Liverpool | 82 | 38 | 86 | +45 |
| 4. | Aston Villa | 68 | 38 | 76 | +15 |
| 5. | Tottenham Hotspur | 66 | 38 | 74 | +13 |
| 6. | Chelsea | 63 | 38 | 77 | +14 |
| 7. | Newcastle UnitedEdit | 60 | 38 | 85 | +23 |
| 8. | manchester united | 60 | 38 | 57 | -1 |
| 9. | western ham | 52 | 38 | 60 | -14 |
| 10. | crystal Palace | 49 | 38 | 57 | -1 |
| eleven. | Brighton | 48 | 38 | 55 | -7 |
| 12. | Bournemouth | 48 | 38 | 54 | -13 |
| 13. | Fulham | 47 | 38 | 55 | -6 |
| 14. | Wolves | 46 | 38 | fifty | -fifteen |
| fifteen. | Everton* | 40 | 38 | 40 | -eleven |
| sixteen. | Brentford | 39 | 38 | 56 | -9 |
| 17. | Nottingham Forest** | 32 | 38 | 49 | -18 |
| 18. | luton city (R) | 26 | 38 | 52 | -33 |
| 19. | Burnley (R) | 24 | 38 | 41 | -37 |
| twenty. | Sheffield United (R) | sixteen | 38 | 35 | -69 |
*10 points are deducted for non-compliance with profitability and sustainability standards. The penalty was reduced to six points on appeal, but a further two points were then deducted for another offense on April 8.
**Four points were deducted for failure to meet profitability and sustainability standards on March 18.
