RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 1 sourcesISTANBUL, TURKEY - MAY 20: The UEFA Europa League trophy is seen inside the stadium prior to the UEFA Europa League Final 2026 match between SC Freiburg and Aston Villa FC at Besiktas Park on May 20, 2026 in Istanbul, Turkey. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images) | Getty Images
Sunderland did what can only be described as “a Sunderland” last season, surpassing all expectations by delivering a seventh-placed finish, and with it, European football for the first time in over fifty years.
We all know the challenges that Europa League football will bring, and having a deeper squad is a necessity. While things have been quiet on the transfer front, it’s been a slow window and I have faith that Florian Ghisolfi and company will bring in the quality we need.
Given that this will be a new experience for the club, expectations must be realistic and if there’s a dip in our league form, it shouldn’t be viewed as a negative as long as we don’t plummet towards the bottom of the table and suffer relegation come the end of the season.
How do clubs perform when they juggle domestic and Europa League football?
I’ve dived into the numbers, and whilst I back us to perform in the Premier League, it’s clear that it could be a taxing season.
The UEFA Cup was rebranded the Europa League for the 2009/2010 season, with the competition expanding from forty to forty eight teams for the group stage, followed by a knockout format.
For the 2024/2025 campaign, it took a new format, with the introduction of a thirty-six team league phase. Additionally, teams that finished third in the Champions League no longer entered the knockout phase.
From the Europa League’s inception, I looked at every English side that qualified for the competition domestically to find out two things: how they performed in the league the following season, and how far they went in Europe.
Since the competition’s rebrand in 2009, the majority of clubs that have qualified for the competition have fallen down the league table at an average of 1.66 places, with twenty nine of the forty seven teams finishing in a lower position.
The most dramatic decline was Ange Postecoglou’s Tottenham, who dropped to seventeenth in the 2024/2025 season having qualified by finishing in fifth the campaign prior, although they did go on to lift the trophy by beating Manchester United in the final.
Hull City are the only English side in Europa League history to have been relegated in the same campaign they played in the competition, finishing eighteenth at the end of the 2014/2015 season under ex-Sunderland boss Steve Bruce.
Remarkably, two clubs have played in the Championship and Europa League simultaneously.
Birmingham City did so in 2011/2012, having beaten Arsenal in the League Cup final to qualify for the competition. Wigan Athletic then followed in their footsteps in 2013/2014 after beating Manchester City in the FA Cup final.
On the upside, fourteen teams have improved their league placement the season after qualifying, while four have matched their position, with West Ham twice bettering their final standing by five places in 2015/2016 and 2023/2024 — the best improvement of any side.
No team has ever lifted the Premier League trophy in the same season they played Europa League football, with Arsenal’s second-placed finish in 2022/2023 the highest of any English club.
Sunderland won’t be fancied to lift the Europa League trophy next May, but considering what’s unfolded over the last few years, that would be a rather dangerous assumption.
History suggests that it is unlikely that an English team will win the Europa League, although there has been a significant shift in recent years that should give Sunderland, Bournemouth and Crystal Palace encouragement.
Since the 2009/2010 season, the round of sixteen has been the most prominent exit for English clubs, with eight of the forty seven clubs falling at this stage. However, seven of the last eight teams to qualify for the competition have progressed even further.
Only four Premier League clubs have gone all the way to lift the trophy, with Manchester United, Chelsea, Spurs and Aston Villa all tasting success. Two of those victors have triumphed over fellow English opposition, with Tottenham and Villa both doing so in the last two seasons.
What’s encouraging for Régis Le Bris’ men is that since the 2022/2023 campaign, there have been nine Premier League entrants and all have at least gone on to the round of sixteen at the minimum, while three have reached the final.
Alan Shearer has already stated that we will not win the Europa League, but what did he say about us when we were promoted?
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