Manchester United and Spurs could still create history by qualifying for the Champions League despite being historically abysmal in the Premier League.
Both clubs remain in the Europa League and are among the favourites to win a competition which guarantees the champions passage into the following season’s Champions League.
Manchester United host Real Sociedad in the second leg of a last-16 tie locked at 1-1, while Spurs must overcome a miserable 1-0 defeat to AZ Alkmaar if they wish to progress to the quarter-finals.
Only goal difference separates the two teams in the Premier League table, with Spurs and Manchester United 13th and 14th respectively, four points behind Brentford and one ahead of Everton and West Ham.
That opens up the entirely plausible prospect of either side qualifying for European competition despite finishing in the bottom half domestically, which while uncommon is not unheard of; West Ham did it a couple of years ago.
Even Champions League quarter-finalists Aston Villa could just about feasibly win the tournament and qualify for the 2025/26 iteration as champions while experiencing a substantial drop-off in the Premier League; they are eighth but Bournemouth are a point behind and Fulham are three back with a game in hand.
The lowest-ranked teams to qualify for the following season’s Champions League were Chelsea in 2011/12 and Manchester United in 2016/17, who both finished sixth in the Premier League but found alternative paths by winning European competitions.
But teams have been relegated before while glancing at flight prices for their impending continental journey; a couple weren’t even in the top flight at all. The following sides have qualified for European competition in the Premier League era despite finishing 10th or lower.
READ MORE: How Premier League teams qualify for Champions League and Europa competitions for 25/26
Premier League clubs who finished 10th while qualifying for Europe
Arsenal – qualified for Cup Winners’ Cup in 1992/93 as FA Cup winners
Aston Villa – qualified for UEFA Cup in 1993/94 as League Cup winners
Blackburn – qualified for UEFA Cup in 2001/02 as League Cup winners
Blackburn – qualified for Intertoto Cup in 2006/07 as the highest-ranked team to apply
Premier League clubs who finished 11th while qualifying for Europe
Spurs – qualified for UEFA Cup in 1998/99 as League Cup winners
Newcastle – qualified for Intertoto Cup in 2000/01 after the Spanish FA withdrew participation
Middlesbrough – qualified for UEFA Cup in 2003/04 as League Cup winners
Spurs – qualified for UEFA Cup in 2007/08 as League Cup winners
Premier League clubs who finished 12th while qualifying for Europe
West Ham – qualified for Europa League in 2014/15 through the Fair Play League
Premier League clubs who finished 13th while qualifying for Europe
Newcastle – qualified for Cup Winners’ Cup in 1997/98 as FA Cup runners-up
Newcastle – qualified for UEFA Cup in 1998/99 as FA Cup runners-up
Fulham – qualified for Intertoto Cup in 2001/02 as the highest-ranked team to apply
Stoke – qualified for Europa League in 2010/11 as FA Cup runners-up
Premier League clubs who finished 14th while qualifying for Europe
Chelsea – qualified for Cup Winners’ Cup in 1993/94 as FA Cup runners-up
Newcastle – qualified for Intertoto Cup in 2004/05 as the highest-ranked team to apply
West Ham – qualified for Europa League in 2022/23 as Conference League winners
Premier League clubs who finished 15th while qualifying for Europe
Everton – qualified for Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994/95 as FA Cup winners
Premier League clubs who finished 16th while qualifying for Europe
Hull – qualified for Europa League in 2013/14 as FA Cup runners-up
Premier League clubs who finished 17th while qualifying for Europe
Bradford – qualified for Intertoto Cup in 1999/2000 after an Italian club pulled out of the competition
Premier League clubs who finished 18th while qualifying for Europe
Ipswich – qualified for UEFA Cup in 2001/02 through the Fair Play League
Birmingham – qualified for Europa League in 2010/11 as League Cup winners
Wigan – qualified for Europa League in 2012/13 as FA Cup winners
Premier League clubs who finished 20th while qualifying for Europe
Crystal Palace – qualified for Intertoto Cup as only team who applied in 1997/98
Clubs who qualified for Europe while playing in the Football League
Millwall – finished 10th in the second tier but qualified for UEFA Cup in 2003/04 as FA Cup runners-up
Wrexham – finished 13th in the third tier but qualified for Cup Winners’ Cup in 1994/95 as Welsh Cup winners
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