How Manchester United can qualify for Champions League by finishing sixth
Associated PressManchester United can still qualify for the Champions League if they finish in sixth place in the Premier League – but they need a big helping hand from West Ham United.
In a new format for next season, the two countries with the highest UEFA coefficient will be rewarded with an extra Champions League spot. Italy are currently top, with England level on points with Germany – but the Premier League would be awarded the extra place on a previous season countback as things stand.
That means that the top five teams in the Premier League, rather than the usual four, would qualify for the Champions League next season.
With Manchester United currently 11 points adrift of fourth, this change in format could be a lifeline for the Red Devils. Yet worryingly for Erik ten Hag’s squad, they are also 11 points behind fifth-placed Aston Villa.
Yet there is still a way for Man United to finish in sixth and qualify for the Champions League – here’s how:
If West Ham United win the Europa League, finish in fifth and England end the season in the top two places in the UEFA coefficient rankings – Manchester United will qualify for the Champions League if they finish sixth in the Premier League.
They would need Aston Villa, who are currently in fifth, 11 points clear of United, to tumble down the table in the final six games. The Hammers are one point behind Ten Hag’s squad and they would need to surge up the table while also being successful in their Europa League conquest.
Winning the Europa League automatically guarantees a team entry to the Champions League in the following season. If England are awarded a bonus fifth Champions League place through the coefficient rankings – and the Europa League winners were to finish in fifth – that extra spot would pass from the fifth to sixth-placed team.
This is because, West Ham, in this instance, would relinquish their Champions League qualification via their fifth-place finish, instead qualifying for the competition by virtue of winning the Europa League.
