What happens if Aston Villa win Europa League? Scenarios for Champions League qualification in Premier League

What happens if Aston Villa win Europa League? Scenarios for Champions League qualification in Premier League originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .

Aston Villa were hoping to earn their first major European trophy since 1982 when they toppled Bayern Munich in the European Cup final in Rotterdam. Villa defeated fellow Premier League side Nottingham Forest in the semifinals of the 2025/26 Europa League to secure a showdown with Freiburg in Istanbul . In the new format of the competition, a Europa League title guarantees the victor a spot in next year's Champions League competition, a valuable and lucrative reward for a continental championship.

However, Aston Villa have also been in the running for Champions League qualification through Premier League finish, as they fight for a top-five place in the English domestic league. As the club cannot claim two places in the Champions League next season, The Sporting News explains what would happen if Aston Villa were to gain a place in the UCL league phase through two different avenues, and who would benefit from such an outcome. MORE: Tracking European qualification for Premier League teams including all scenarios What happens if Aston Villa win the Europa League?

First things first, now that Aston Villa have won the Europa League, it guaranteed them qualification them to the Champions League no matter where they finish in the Premier League table. However, because Villa had confirmed a top-five finish in the English top flight before the final, they had already secured a Champions League spot, especially since league table supersedes qualification via a European title. However, the trickle-down effect through the rest of the English top flight is vastly different if they also finish top five in the league table versus if they do not.