Does fifth place qualify for the Champions League if Man City win the competition?
Manchester City are on course to win their first Champions League title… but could fifth place qualify next season if Pep Guardiola’s side win the league after recently being crowned Premier League winners?
- Manchester City are on track to win the Champions League for the first time
- City have already qualified for the league after winning the league title
- Manchester United and Liverpool remain in contention for the final top four spot
Manchester City are in the race to win the Champions League for the first time in their history.
Pep Guardiola’s side beat Real Madrid 5-1 on aggregate in the last four and will face Serie A side Inter Milan in the final.
After Arsenal’s defeat to Nottingham Forest last weekend, City qualified to be crowned champions for the third season in a row.
Their points tally in the league means they will play in the Champions League next season, even if they don’t win the league.
If the Manchester side win Europe’s biggest club competition, will the side that finish fifth qualify for the Champions League? Mail Sport provides the answers below.
Manchester City are on course to win the Champions League for the first time in their history
Pep Guardiola’s City side will face Inter in the final after beating rivals AC Milan
Will fifth place qualify for the Champions League if Manchester City win it?
As mentioned, City will play in the league next season whether or not they manage to beat Inter.
With Manchester United and Liverpool battling it out for the last place in the top four, unfortunately for both clubs whoever finishes fifth will not earn a place in next season’s competition if City win the Champions League.
While that is the case, the Red Devils can secure their place in the league next season with at least a point against Chelsea tonight.
City qualify for the 2023/24 competition as the current holders and their position will not be passed.
Instead, the spot will be transferred to the winner of the highest ranked domestic league in the UEFA coefficient with no automatic qualification spot for the group stage.
Traditionally, this would be the 11th-placed nation to go straight into the group stage rather than having to qualify.
Serbia currently occupies 11th place in the ranking. However, the champions of the Serbian top division are already assured of a place. This is because Russia ranks 10th. The country’s clubs remain banned from European competitions following the invasion of Ukraine.
Therefore, if City win the Champions League, the champions of the 12th-ranked country will get a bye. Ukraine currently occupies the current spot. Shakhtar Donetsk top the Ukrainian Premier League, five points ahead of Dnipro, with four games remaining.
Liverpool are fighting for a place in the top four and are three points behind Manchester United
However, should United take at least a point against Chelsea tonight, they will qualify for next season’s competition
Can five Premier League teams play in the Champions League?
There are rules that allow five teams from England to play in the same Champions League season.
The only way this can happen is if an English club wins the Champions League or Europa League this season but fails to finish in the top four of the Premier League.
With City winning the league this season, these rules will not come into effect ahead of next season’s competition.
The final of this season will take place in June at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul
When is the Champions League final?
Manchester City will take on Inter Milan on Saturday, June 10, with a kick-off at 8 p.m.
The duel between the two sides will take place at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul.
Inter have won the league three times in their history, while City have never won the Champions League.
