Manchester City are just ninety minutes away from finally claiming the Champions League trophy that has so far eluded them. The recently crowned Premier League champions, who are on the hunt for an incredible treble, will be overwhelming favourites to beat Inter Milan in June’s final in Istanbul. This has prompted fans of other English clubs to ask one very simple question: Will fifth place in the Premier League qualify for next season’s Champions League? The answer is no. Manchester City have already qualified for the Champions League next year as Premier League champions. However, if City do indeed go on to lift the trophy in Istanbul, they will qualify for next season’s edition as reigning champions instead, meaning their qualification spot secured through their league position would not be passed down to the side ending up fifth in the Premier League. Instead, City’s league qualification would be transferred to the champions of the highest-ranked national league in the UEFA coefficient who don’t already occupy an automatic group stage qualifying spot. As things stand, the winners of the Ukrainian league would qualify for the Champions League automatically instead of having to go through the qualification stage. The club ending the season in fifth place will instead qualify automatically for the group stages of the Europa League. UEFA rules do actually allow five teams from the same country to play in the same Champions League season, however this can only happen if an English club wins the Champions League or Europa League this campaign but does not finish in the top four in the Premier League.
Does 5th Place Qualify for Champions League if Man City Win?
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