As the 2022/23 Premier League season draws to a close, several teams are still competing for a place in the top seven. Tottenham, Aston Villa, and Brentford are among those who could finish the year strongly and potentially secure European football.
Villa’s impressive resurgence under Unai Emery has seen them climb up the table. While a top-four finish is the most coveted position, finishing seventh also has its benefits.
So, what does finishing seventh in the Premier League qualify for? Traditionally, England’s one spot in the Europa Conference League is given to the team that wins the Carabao Cup. However, this year’s League Cup champions, Manchester United, are guaranteed to finish in the top six, which means their European spot passes down to the sixth-placed side.
But this year, the team that finishes sixth will play in the Europa League because the FA Cup final is between Manchester City and Man United. Both teams will finish inside the top six, meaning the one Europa Conference League spot will go to the side that ends the campaign seventh rather than sixth.
Therefore, whoever finishes seventh this year will take part in the Europa Conference League and enter the final play-off stage. The Conference League is UEFA’s latest competition, and next year will be just the third campaign. English clubs have enjoyed success in the tournament so far, which should provide encouragement to the teams competing to finish seventh this year.
Last season, Leicester made it to the semi-finals, where they were beaten by eventual winners Jose Mourinho’s Roma, while West Ham are into the final this year and are one match away from European glory. Therefore, a seventh-placed finish for Aston Villa, Tottenham or Brentford would see those clubs earn European football and a chance to win some silverware next year.