Seventh-place in La Liga to Europa League if no Copa del Rey final

The seventh-placed team in La Liga will play in next season’s Europa League campaign if the Copa del Rey final is not played this season.

Valencia currently occupy seventh spot in the division and the position would go directly into the Europa League if the final – between Real Sociedad and Athletic Club Bilbao – is not staged, as outlined by El Mundo Deportivo.

The Copa final looks likely not to be staged until fans can safely attend football matches due to the fact it will be a highly-anticipated Basque derby – the first ever in the showpiece, to be staged in Seville.

The Spanish FA proposed last month, as outlined by Marca and Cadena Cope, that in the event of the season not being completed, the league would not be called null and void with European spots being awarded on the basis of what sides currently occupied those positions.

The Spanish FA say that the four Champions League places would go to the current top four in La Liga – Barcelona, Real Madrid, Sevilla and Real Sociedad, with Atletico de Madrid and Getafe going into the Europa League.

The initial proposal from the Spanish authorities would be that Athletic Bilbao would go into the Europa League if the Copa del Rey final was not played, but now UEFA have said it must instead go to the final La Liga slot.

It is not yet clear what decision will be taken in terms of titles, promotions and relegations should the season not be completed – but the Spanish FA needed to communicate to UEFA what clubs would be entitled to perform in their competitions next season.

The intention of La Liga remains to complete the 2019/20 campaign.

La Liga - Club News