How European Results Will Impact FPL

Aston Villa and Crystal Palace have both secured places in European finals following results on May 8, 2026, creating new variables for managers in the final three weeks of the Fantasy Premier League (FPL) season.

Aston Villa advanced to the Europa League final after overturning a first-leg deficit to defeat Nottingham Forest. Simultaneously, Crystal Palace defeated Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the Conference League final.

According to reporting from Fantasy Football Scout, these developments introduce specific qualification scenarios for the Champions League that could benefit teams lower in the domestic standings.

If Aston Villa wins the Europa League and finishes the domestic season in fifth place, the team finishing sixth would also qualify for the Champions League. As of May 9, 2026, Bournemouth occupies the sixth-place position, though Brentford and Brighton and Hove Albion remain close in the standings.

This potential for an additional qualification spot provides an incentive for the chasing pack to maintain strong lineups while sixth place remains mathematically attainable. However, if Aston Villa wins the trophy and finishes fourth domestically, the additional Champions League place will be allocated to a club outside of England.

The progression of Crystal Palace to the Conference League final is expected to impact the availability of their players. Manager Oliver Glasner has already begun rotating his attackers and has indicated that further rotation may occur in the coming days.

This rotation strategy reduces the appeal of Palace players for the upcoming Double Gameweek 36. The rotation is expected to continue through the end of the league season due to a congested schedule.

Crystal Palace is scheduled to host Arsenal in Gameweek 38, a match that takes place three days before the club meets Rayo Vallecano in the final in Leipzig.

The scheduling conflict has raised concerns regarding preparation and player management, with one perspective on the difficulty of the turnaround stating:

Again, I don’t know right now how we will plan this because it’s also the first time for me playing the last league game on Sunday and then [the final] on Wednesday.

Fantasy Football Scout

For FPL managers, the combination of potential Champions League redistribution and the rotation of Crystal Palace assets adds significant complexity to team selection as the season concludes.