The Premier League season is over, with places in the UEFA Champions League (UCL), UEFA Europa League (UEL) and UEFA Conference League (UCoL) decided.
Yet there were a whole host of clauses and considerations that affected where the places have gone.
First of all, the Premier League will have five teams in the UCL next season after it secured one of the extra places for performance by clubs across the three competitions.
But what happened with the places reserved for the domestic cups?
What does it mean that Tottenham Hotspur won the UEL? And that Chelsea lifted the UCoL trophy?
Here's your guide to European qualification in the Premier League.
What's the usual allocation for the Premier League?
At the start of every season, the Premier League's European allocation is for seven teams:
Champions League: Places 1-4
Europa League: 5, FA Cup winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
But now there's an extra place in the Champions League?
The two leagues with the best set of collective results in European competition get a fifth team in the Champions League through the European Performance Spots (EPS).
It was confirmed on April 8 -- through Arsenal's 3-0 win over Real Madrid -- that the Premier League will get one of the two EPS.
The extra place goes to fifth in the league.
For 2024-25 season, to qualify for Europe the allocation is now:
Champions League: 1-5 (Liverpool and Arsenal are confirmed)
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
What happens to the EPS if a Premier League team wins a European competition?
The EPS is applied after all considerations related to the winners of domestic cups and the three European competitions.
In all circumstances, the EPS provides a plus-1 to a league's allocation -- so the Premier League will have nine teams as it stands. It could yet be 10...
So nine because Spurs won the Europa League?
Yes, Spurs beat Man United 1-0 in the final of the Europa League, with the winners earning a place in the Champions League for next season.
Spurs finished 17th, so not a European position domestically, and they have the right to play in the UCL as UEL titleholders. This is not at the expense of another Premier League team, it's in addition.
This guarantees there will be nine Premier League clubs in Europe, and six in the Champions League.
Champions League: 1-5, Tottenham as UEL winners
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
What does Newcastle winning the Carabao Cup mean?
Newcastle United were guaranteed at least a place in the Conference League after they beat Liverpool 2-1 in the Carabao Cup final on March 16.
However, because they finished fifth, to qualify for the UCL, the Conference League place is given to seventh.
Champions League: 1-5, Tottenham as UEL winners
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners
Conference League: 7
How about the FA Cup?
Crystal Palace beat Manchester City in the FA Cup final. (stream a replay on ESPN+ in the U.S.)
Palace qualify for the Europa League and as they are in 12th, the league places are unaltered:
Champions League: 1-5, Tottenham as UEL winners
Europa League: 6, Crystal Palace as FA Cup winners
Conference League: 7
If Man City had won the FA Cup and finished in the top six, the Europa League place for the FA Cup would have transferred to seventh in the league.
Chelsea won the Conference League -- what does this mean?
As Chelsea finished in fourth place, victory over Real Betis in the Conference League final could not impact the Premier League's European allocation.
The winners of the Conference League get a place in the Europa League, but Chelsea will be in the Champions League.
The place in the Europa League for the titleholders is given to the highest-ranked club in the qualifying rounds, which will be either either Dinamo Zagreb or Shakhtar Donetsk.
Isn't there a clause for Chelsea qualifying for the Champions League?
Yes. Chelsea can choose which competition they play in next season: The UCL or the UEL as European titleholders.
Of course, there's no doubt that Chelsea will take up the place in the Champions League, so why does this clause exist?
It's to cover a team from one of Europe's lower-ranked leagues winning the Conference League. If they take up their domestic UCL place in the qualifying rounds they wouldn't be guaranteed to play in the UEL, or even a European league phase at all depending where they start qualifying. If they feel making the UCL league phase through qualifying is tough, they can opt to take the automatic place in the UEL league phase earned by winning the Conference League.
So what's the final breakdown?
Champions League: Liverpool, Arsenal, Man City, Chelsea, Newcastle
Europa League: Aston Villa, Crystal Palace
Conference League: Nottingham Forest
Hypothetical: How there could be seven English teams in the Champions League
Seven:
The top four spots (4)
The extra place for the EPS (1)
The winners of the Champions League (1)
The winners of the Europa League (1)
The winners of the UCL and UEL would have to finish outside the top four to create the extra UCL allocation.
As there is no Premier League team in the Champions League final, the maximum this season is six.
Hypothetical: How 11 Premier League clubs could qualify for Europe
Each European titleholder is guaranteed a place in Europe. As above, if any team finishes in a European place domestically, there is no additional place. However, if a team does not qualify from domestic competition, it's an extra spot for the titleholders on top of the league allocation -- even if all three were to do so.
So that means it's possible, though highly improbable, for the Premier League to have 11 teams in Europe, including the EPS.
Champions League: 1-5, UCL winners, UEL winners
Europa League: 6, FA Cup winners, UCoL winners
Conference League: Carabao Cup winners
Hypothetical: How ninth, 10th and 11th could qualify for Europe
For this to happen a European title winner would need to finish eighth.
So, the Conference League winners finish in eighth place -- one below the Conference League spot before the EPS is added. The team plays in the Europa League as Conference League winners, and the Premier League has eight teams in Europe.
Champions League: 1-4
Europa League: 5, 6, UCoL winners (8)
Conference League: 7
Now the EPS is applied with fifth in the UCL, and as this creates the plus-1 in all scenarios there are now nine teams in Europe. The European places drop down one, but as the Conference League winners already have a place in the Europa League, the Conference League spot "jumps" over them and goes to ninth.
Champions League: 1-5
Europa League: 6, 7, UCoL winners (8)
Conference League: 9
The same EPS logic can be applied to push the allocation down two or three places in the league.
It requires multiple European titleholders to be in consecutive places outside the domestic spots, to create two or three "jumps."
This is the effect of two teams winning European titles and finishing eighth and ninth -- 10th gets the Conference League spot after the EPS is applied.
Champions League: 1-5, UEL winners (9)
Europa League: 6, 7, UCoL winners (8)
Conference League: 10
Add in the UCL winners finishing in a consecutive place, and 11th gets the Conference League.
Champions League: 1-5, UCL winners (8), UEL winners (10)
Europa League: 6, 7, UCoL winners (9)
Conference League: 11