Crystal Palace's 1-0 victory over Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday night confirmed them as Europa Conference League champions and capped a remarkable 12-month period which has also seen them win the FA Cup and Community Shield.
The achievement also saw the south London club become the ninth Premier League team to qualify for Europe next season, matching the all-time record.
But why are there so many English teams who have confirmed their European spots?
How have nine Premier League teams qualified for Europe?
As usual, the top four clubs in the Premier League qualified for the Champions League. This season, that was Arsenal, Manchester City, Manchester United, and Aston Villa, after Unai Emery's side beat Liverpool in the penultimate round of fixtures.
Last season's Premier League champions did, however, manage to sneak into Europe's elite club competition thanks to the European Performance Spot (EPS), which is awarded to the league whose teams perform best in European competition over the course of the season.
Since its introduction in the 2024-25 season, the Premier League has taken the EPS on both occasions.
That meant that the Europa League spots normally awarded to the teams finishing fifth and sixth were pushed down one place to sixth and seventh, meaning Bournemouth and Sunderland will both play in the competition next season for the first time in their respective histories.
- Can Arsenal win Champions League final to give Premier League clean sweep of European trophies?
- Arsenal parade: When is it, what time and will it take place if they lose the Champions League final?
- Tottenham hierarchy pledge to completely reset club and "recapture" its spirit
Brighton, who had been lingering in the Europa League spots for much of the campaign, finished eighth after defeats to Leeds and Manchester United to end the season, meaning they enter the Europa Conference League.
Despite finishing 15th after a season of ups and downs, Palace joined Bournemouth and Sunderland in the Europa League courtesy of their victory over Rayo Vallecano in Leipzig on Wednesday night.
Have there ever been nine teams from one league in Europe before?
The entry of nine English teams into European competition next season equals the record set last season, perhaps unsurprisingly, by the Premier League.
In 2024-25, six English teams qualified for the Champions League, courtesy of the EPS and Tottenham's victory in the Europa League.
After a dismal season in 2025-26, Spurs drop out of Europe, along with Chelsea, Newcastle and Nottingham Forest.