Sunday marked the conclusion of the Premier League season, which had significant repercussions for clubs vying for European competition spots next season. Manchester City, Chelsea, and Newcastle United secured the coveted UEFA Champions League (UCL) qualification, the major reward on the table.
The shifts weren’t limited to England, however, as Finland also saw an unexpected turn of events benefiting Ilves.
Levi Colwill’s strike for Chelsea at Nottingham Forest’s City Ground ensured the Blues would compete in the 2025/26 UCL at the expense of the hosts, who will now participate in the UEFA Europa Conference League (UECL).
This victory not only secured Chelsea’s place but also guaranteed that their UECL Final opponent, Real Betis, has qualified for UEFA competitions through their domestic league, as Los Verdiblancos had already booked a place in the UEFA Europa League (UEL) prior to the final day of LaLiga.
Consequently, the UEL League Phase spot reserved for the UECL winners will remain unfilled after tomorrow’s Final.
To address this vacancy in the UEL, the rules mandate that the spot in the UEL First Qualifying Round will go to the highest-ranked nation lacking a UEL representative.
This nation is Finland, where the Veikkausliiga ranks 34th among UEFA’s 55 leagues. The fortunate club that stands to benefit is Ilves, who were set to enter the Conference League Second Qualifying Round after finishing as runners-up in the 2024 Veikkausliiga.
The Tampere-based side will now commence their UEL qualifying journey in July and, as an unseeded team in the first round, they could face formidable opponents such as Shakhtar Donetsk, Legia, or Partizan.
The progression of the other three Finnish clubs remains unchanged as they gear up for their respective European campaigns this summer.
Veikkausliiga champions KuPS will enter the UCL in the First Qualifying Round. Being one of the seeded teams, they will avoid tough contests against teams like Allsvenskan champions Malmö, as well as Ludogorets Razgrad and FCSB.
Instead, potential rivals may include Virtus from San Marino, Malta’s Hamrun Spartans, and regional rivals Levadia from Estonia.
HJK and SJK, who finished third and fourth in the 2024 Finnish top flight, will compete in the UECL, entering in the First Qualifying Round. HJK is among the higher-ranked seeded teams, while SJK falls into the unseeded category.
The draws for the First Qualifying Rounds across all three competitions are scheduled for 17th June, with the first-leg fixtures to be held during the week commencing 7th July.
Veikkausliiga clubs in UEFA competition 2025/26
UEFA Champions League First Qualifying Round: KuPS (seeded)
UEFA Europa League First Qualifying Round: Ilves (unseeded)
UEFA Conference League First Qualifying Round: HJK (seeded), SJK (unseeded)
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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