West Ham will be the Premier League's eighth entrant into European competitions next season following their UEFA Europa Conference League triumph. David Moyes' side lifted the trophy at the Fortuna Arena in Prague on Wednesday night following a 2-1 victory over Serie A side Fiorentina.
The Hammers took the lead from the penalty spot just after the hour mark, with Said Benrahma dispatching the spot-kick after a VAR review penalised Cristiano Biraghi for handball. However, the lead would only last five minutes as Giacomo Bonaventura pulled Fiorentina level.
The final looked to be heading for extra-time until Lucas Paqueta released Jarrod Bowen to run in on goal in the final minute of regulation time. The England international buried his effort beyond Pietro Terracciano to spark scenes of wild jubilation among the West Ham supporters in the stadium.
West Ham will now join Brighton and Liverpool in next season's Europa League, with Aston Villa competing in the Europa Conference League following their seventh-placed finish. Of course, Newcastle will join Arsenal, Manchester United and champions Manchester City in the Champions League.
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It will be the last edition of the current Champions League format, with the expansion to a 36-team tournament from the 2024/2025 season. This change could benefit the Premier League, with the last two spots in the competition to be given to the two countries whose clubs collectively performed best in Europe the previous year.
Newcastle held off a late run from Liverpool to seal a top-four finish, but it could now be five English clubs who qualify for the Champions League dependent on this coefficient system. This is where West Ham could inadvertently play their part in determining if it's a top-four or a top-five next season following their qualification for the Europa League, according to ESPN.
It means that as a result of having eight teams playing in Europe, each Premier League side's individual results in their respective competitions will be worth less coefficient points. Perhaps worryingly for Newcastle and their current top-four rivals, the last time England had eight teams in Europe, they finished third in the season's UEFA coefficient rankings which would now mean the division would only have four Champions League spots.
West Ham's qualification for the Europa League likely does not change the expectation the Premier League will still earn a fifth entry into Europe's premier competition. An additional place would benefit the division as a whole too, with sixth spot earning a place in the Europa League while seventh and eight could qualify for the Conference League, dependent on the winners of that season's FA Cup and Carabao Cup.
