England could miss out on a historic six-team Champions League contingent next season if Aston Villa win Wednesday's Europa League final and finish in the top four of the Premier League.

The elite performance spot explained

English clubs performed so well across UEFA's three club competitions this season — the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League — that England earned one of two Elite Performance Spots (EPS). Spain claimed the other, with Real Betis taking that additional entry.

The EPS means five Premier League clubs, rather than the usual four, will compete in next season's Champions League. Clubs finishing in the top five of the Premier League are therefore guaranteed a place in European football's elite competition.

Villa's final and what it means

Villa face German side Freiburg on Wednesday night in Istanbul in this season's Europa League final. Heading into the final round of Premier League fixtures, Villa sit fourth — three points clear of Liverpool in fifth.

Winning the Europa League is itself a route into next season's Champions League. If Villa lift the trophy and finish fifth in the Premier League, England could end up with six clubs in the competition: the top four sides plus Villa — qualifying as Europa League winners — and sixth-placed Bournemouth benefiting from the EPS.

However, if Villa win in Istanbul and finish in the top four, the EPS cannot also apply to a sixth Premier League side. This is because EPS allocations are applied only after all other qualification routes are settled. England would then have five Champions League representatives: the top five Premier League clubs, with no room for a sixth.

Bournemouth's slim hopes

Bournemouth are currently sixth and can secure that position by avoiding defeat at Nottingham Forest on the final day. The Cherries could even climb to fifth, but only if they win, Liverpool lose to Brentford, and a considerable swing in goal difference also goes their way.

Ripple effects across Europe

Should Villa's top-four finish block England from a sixth spot, Portuguese side Sporting would be promoted from the third qualifying round directly into the league phase of the Champions League. Sporting hold the highest UEFA club coefficient ranking among sides currently scheduled to enter via a qualifying round.

That move up for Sporting would, in turn, push the two highest-ranked clubs entering the league path's second qualifying round — Bodo/Glimt and Olympiakos — forward into the third qualifying round instead.

If Freiburg win the Europa League, the German club would qualify for the Champions League, and England's five Premier League spots would remain straightforwardly intact.