How do the European qualification places work for the Carabao Cup?

The first major piece of silverware is up for grabs on Sunday when Chelsea and Liverpool take on each other in the Carabao Cup final. 

Not only will the winners be able to hoist up the trophy in front of thousands of their fans at Wembley, but it will also ensure European qualification for the 2024/25 campaign. 

The winners of the final will earn qualification for the Europa Conference League – but Chelsea and Liverpool’s circumstances may mean it is not as straightforward as that. 

Chelsea manager Mauricio Pochettino will be looking to earn the first trophy of his Blues reign (Image credit: Getty Images)Liverpool currently top the Premier League and will start the weekend with a 13-point buffer to fifth-placed Tottenham, so a Champions League berth is firmly within their sites.

Should they beat Chelsea at Wembley and go on to achieve qualification for Europe’s top competition via the Premier League, their Europa Conference League spot will be passed on to the highest-placed finisher in the Premier League that have not qualified for either the Champions League or Europa League. Currently, that would be the team that finishes sixth in the table, but that is dependent on the outcome of other competitions.

Chelsea’s hopes of qualifying for Europe through their Premier League campaign are much slimmer, as the Blues currently sit 10th in the table, 12 points off the European places. While that would mean a spot in the Europa Conference League would be welcomed, reports have circulated in recent days that it may be in Chelsea’s interest to snub a place in Europe next season.

The Athletic have explained that European qualification would mean they would need to comply with UEFA’s profit and sustainability rules, which are stricter than the Premier League’s set of regulations. This would mean Chelsea could only be permitted to lose £68.5m over the previous two years, not the £105m that the Premier League sets. Player bonuses and changes to player amortisation would also dent their finances.

A recent precedent saw AC Milan reach an agreement with UEFA to opt out of European competition for the 2019/20 campaign.

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