Chelsea could decline Europa Conference League Place on one condition
Because UEFA’s financial requirements are harsher than those of the Premier League, Chelsea may choose not to participate in the Europa Conference League even if they have qualified for European competition for the upcoming season, as reported by Matt Law of The Telegraph.
The west London-based team may decline the invitation in advance of a significant season, but this will be the first time in their history that they have been forced to compete in the continent’s third division.
Even though Manchester United defeated league winners Manchester City in the FA Cup final, the Blues were relegated to the competition that West Ham United currently holds, despite finishing sixth in the 2023–24 Premier League.
The Red Devils, thanks to winning 2-1 at Wembley on Saturday afternoon, join Tottenham Hotspur in the Europa League, while Chelsea will be travelling around the continent to play some of the lesser-known sides.
Chelsea’s Financial Restraints Could Prevent European Action
Premier League and UEFA rules differ
Chelsea’s financial troubles are no secret – and the fact that UEFA’s financial sustainability regulations (FSR) are much stricter than those set out by Premier League chiefs provides a cloud over the club’s European exploits in 2024/25.
Law, The Telegraph’s football news correspondent, suggested back in April – on the ‘London Is Blue’ podcast – that Chelsea would not ‘automatically accept’ the invitation given that playing in Europe next season could land them in hot water.
“Because UEFA FFP is stricter than Premier League PSR, Chelsea will not automatically accept an invitation to the Europa Conference League for risk of breaching financial rules and a subsequent European ban.”
UEFA’s set-in-stone rules only allow clubs to have losses of up to £68.5 million (€80m) for the 2024/25 monitoring period, which looks at a two-year period between 2022 and 2024. Chelsea exceeded that figure with a pre-tax loss of £90.1 million.
As a result, the Premier League outfit would only be allowed to endure a deficit of £68.5 million over the previous two years in order to comply with UEFA’s regulations. For reference: in England, clubs are allowed to lose £105 million over three years.
How Much Chelsea Would Earn from European Triumph
Could play Heidenheim, Legia Warsaw and Maccabi Haifa
Say the news blows over and Chelsea compete, they will be competing against the likes of Heidenheim, Legia Warsaw and Maccabi Haifa rather than European behemoths such as Real Madrid, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Chelsea would enter the tournament at the play-off round stage, with them needing to win a two-legged tie to secure a place in the new-look league stage thanks to the vast changes in UEFA’s trio of competitions from next campaign onwards.
The Blues will discover their play-off opponents on 5 August and then play them between 22 and 29 August to discover their fate. In the event that the new manager – whoever that may be – guides Chelsea to the Europa Conference League final and wins it, they could be in for a relative financial gain.
Not quite on the same financial level as the Europa League or Champions League, the winners of the competition, in reference to the numbers from the 2022/23 season, per GOAL, would be in line for a pay-out of £4.28 million (€5m).
Whether that would still be the case for the next rendition of the European competition remains to be seen – but regardless, it would be a financial boost for Todd Boehly and Co.