Do Carabao Cup winners qualify for the Conference League or Europa League?
Not long until the Carabao Cup final!
Liverpool, Tottenham and Newcastle United fans are keen to know which European tournament they’ll qualify for if they win the Carabao Cup.
The three Premier League sides are the last teams left remaining in this season’s English League Cup, with Newcastle booking their spot in the final on Wednesday after a second-leg win over Arsenal in the last four.
Newcastle will face either Liverpool or Tottenham – who play tonight at 8pm in the other semi-final second leg – in the 2025 final on March 16.
Scroll down to find out if the 2024-25 Carabao Cup winners will qualify for the UEFA Conference League or the UEFA Europa League in 2025-26…
Do Carabao Cup winners qualify for the Europa League?
No, the Carabao Cup winners do not qualify for the UEFA Europa League.
Before the UEFA Conference League was introduced in the 2021-22 season, the Carabao Cup winners would earn a spot in the Europa League third qualifying round.
Swansea City, for example, played in the 2013-14 Europa League group stages after clinching the Carabao Cup in the previous campaign and then beating Malmo and Petrolul Ploiești in the third qualifying round and play-off round respectively.
To qualify for the Europa League these days, teams must win the FA Cup or finish fifth in the Premier League table, which earns direct entry to the league phase.
Do Carabao Cup winners qualify for the Conference League?
Yes, the Carabao Cup winners qualify for the UEFA Conference League, but they must progress past a play-off round to reach the league phase.
Chelsea earned their place in this season’s Conference League league phase after defeating Swiss side Servette FC in the play-offs.
The Conference League was introduced four years ago as the third most prestigious European club football competition. The Europa League is considered the second most prestigious, behind the Champions League.
What happens if a team wins the Carabao Cup coupled with a Premier League top four finish?
Finishing in the top four of the Premier League earns direct qualification for the Champions League league phase, regardless if a team wins the Carabao Cup or indeed the FA Cup.
Liverpool won the Carabao Cup last season – but because they finished third in the Premier League – they are playing in the 2024-25 Champions League instead of the Conference League.
The Conference League spot ended up being handed to sixth-placed Chelsea last season, because eighth-placed Manchester United won the FA Cup to secure a place in the Europa League.
Had Manchester City, won clinched the top-flight title last season, beaten United in the 2024 FA Cup final, Chelsea would’ve been in the Europa League and seventh-placed Newcastle would’ve been in the Conference League instead. But United’s win meant Newcastle missed out on Europe.
