Clubs Chelsea Could Face in Conference League After Manchester United’s FA Cup Win

Clubs Chelsea Could Face in Conference League After Manchester United’s FA Cup Win

Martin Moses
updated at May 30, 2024 at 10:30 AM
In this article:
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Chelsea
England
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UEFA Europa Conference League logo
UEFA ECL
Europe
  • Chelsea will make their first appearance in the UEFA Conference League later this year
  • The Blues sealed their spot in the competition after Manchester United won the FA Cup
  • Sports Brief takes a look at the teams Chelsea could meet in the third-tier competition

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If social media comments are anything to go by, Chelsea fans must be really downcast by their club's imminent participation in the Conference League next season.

The Blues lost their Europa League place to Manchester United after the Red Devils pulled off a surprising 2-1 victory over Manchester City to win the FA Cup on May 25.

Kobbie Mainoo, Alejandro Garnacho, Manchester United, Chelsea, Conference League
Manchester United players celebrate after winning the FA Cup on May 25, 2024. Photo by Ash Donelon.
Source: Getty Images

The result meant the Blues, who finished sixth, were relegated to the Conference League as United moved to the Europa League despite finishing eighth. The reward for winning England's oldest cup competition is a place in Europe's second-tier tournament.

There might still be a slim possibility of Chelsea reclaiming their Europa League spot, but as it stands, the West Londoners will compete in UEFA's newest competition as captured by a club statement.

With this in mind, Sports Brief has done a spot check across all the European leagues to determine the potential list of clubs Chelsea could face when they make their debut in August.

Clubs Chelsea could face in the Conference League

Their journey will begin with a two-legged play-off, with the winner qualifying for the group stage or league phase. Other clubs across Europe's major leagues that have qualified for the Conference League include Lens of France, Heidenheim of Germany, Fiorentina of Italy, and La Liga's Real Betis.

Apart from them, here's a list of the potential participants of the Conference League next season. Kindly note that the list is not definitive as some teams might climb to the Europa League depending on the coefficients of other leagues.

Andorra Inter Escaldes

Armenia Noah, Ararat-Armenia, Urartu

Austria Hartberg

Azerbaijan Zira, Sabah Baku

Belarus Neman, Dinamo Minsk

Belgium Anderlecht, Cercle Brugge, Genk

Bosnia Zrinjski, Velez Mostar, Sarajevo

Bulgaria Cherno More, CSKA Sofia

Croatia Hadjuk Split, Osijek

Czech Republic Ostrava, Mlada Bolesav

Denmark Brondby, Copenhagen

Estonia Kalju, Flora

Georgia Torpedo Kutaisi, Iberia 1999

Gibraltar St. Josephs, Magpies

Greece Panathinaikos

Ireland Derry City, Shamrock Rovers

Hungary Puskas Academy, Fehervar FC

Israel Maccabi Haifa, Beer Sheva

Kosovo Drita, Malisheva

Latvia Riga FC, Valmiera

Lithuania Hagelmann, Dziugas Telsiai

Luxembourg Dudelange, Nidercorn, UNA Strassen

Malta Floriana, Sliema, Marsaxlokk

Moldova Zimbru, Milsami

Montenegro Mornar

The Netherlands Go Ahead Eagles

North Macedonia Shkendija, Tikves

Northern Ireland Crusaders

Norway Fredrikstad, Molde

Poland Slask, Legia

Portugal Guimaraes

Romania Univ Craiova

Scotland St. Mirren

Serbia Radnicki 1923

Slovenia Ljubljana

Sweden Djurgarden, GAIS

Switzerland St. Gallen, Zurich

Turkey Basaksehir

Ukraine Dnipro-1, Zhytomyr

Wales Caernarfon.

Why Chelsea could reject Conference League

Sports Brief has also previously reported on why Chelsea could 'reject' the Conference League despite earning a European place next season.

Relegation to the third-tier competition could cause problems for the Blues' hierarchy and their pursuit to be in good standing with Fair Play rules.

Participating in the Conference League would put Chelsea under more scrutiny as the PSR rules for teams in the UEFA Competitions are different.

Authors
Martin Moses photo
Martin Moses
Martin Moses is a sports journalist with over five years of experience in media. He graduated from Multimedia University of Kenya (Bachelor of Journalism, 2017-2021)