Do FA Cup winners get Champions League place? How qualification for Europe works for English competition
TL;DR
Winning the FA Cup can lead to qualification for the Champions League, depending on the overall standings of the league. This adds significant value to the FA Cup victory for English clubs.
Key points
- FA Cup winners can qualify for the Champions League.
- Qualification depends on league standings.
- Winning the FA Cup is a significant achievement for clubs.
Do FA Cup winners get Champions League place? How qualification for Europe works for English competition originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
As English football continues to grow its depth and power throughout the European landscape, how many clubs enter European football becomes an increasingly common line of conversation.
Every leading club in Europe hopes to qualify for the Champions League, UEFA's most coveted competition, but an appearance in the Europa League or Conference League is also valuable to many teams throughout the continent.
Lifting the FA Cup is a massive honour for English clubs on its own, but earning a spot in Europe next season is a massive boon for the title winner.
The Sporting News explains what exactly comes with an FA Cup title, and how it affects the rest of European qualification throughout the English top flight.
MORE:Which Premier League teams will qualify for what European places?
Do FA Cup winners get Champions League place?
No, the FA Cup winners do not qualify for the UEFA Champions League solely by winning the English domestic trophy.
Do FA Cup winners qualify for Europe?
Should they fail to do so via other means, the FA Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Europa League directly.
However, that can be overridden by qualification via another method, either to the Champions League or the Europa League.
In this instance, the FA Cup's qualifying spot falls to another club in the Premier League table.
What happens if FA Cup winners qualify for Europe via Premier League finish?
If the FA Cup title-winner has already qualified for the Champions League or Europa League via another method, the FA Cup's qualification spot then falls to the Premier League table.
If the winner has already qualified for Champions League or Europa League, either via the Premier League table or winning a European trophy, then the highest-finishing club in the Premier League table not already qualified for the Europa League takes their place.
At best, that is the sixth-placed team in the Premier League table, as it was in 2022/23 when Brighton qualified for the Europa League by finishing in sixth after Manchester City won the FA Cup.
However, thanks to the additional Champions League place awarded by UEFA, as well as England's recent performance in Europe overall, that spot can often fall further down the standings. In the 2025/26 season, a Man City win in the FA Cup final could see the eighth-place finisher earn Europa League football next year, as England earned a fifth Champions League place and Aston Villa could cede their spot as well if they win the Europa League title and finish fifth.
Q&A
Do FA Cup winners automatically qualify for the Champions League?
FA Cup winners do not automatically qualify for the Champions League; qualification depends on their league position.
How many teams from England qualify for the Champions League?
Typically, four teams from England qualify for the Champions League based on their Premier League standings.
What happens if the FA Cup winner has already qualified for the Champions League?
If the FA Cup winner has already qualified for the Champions League, the spot usually goes to the next highest-placed team in the Premier League.
