The team that finishes 7th will play the Europa League if there is no Copa del Rey final
UEFA has informed the RFEF that if the Copa del Rey final between Real Sociedad and Athletic cannot be played, the European place will be lost. Valencia would benefit.
UEFA have informed the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) that the team which finishes LaLiga in seventh place will qualify for next season's Europa League - only if the Copa del Rey final isn't played. It means that UEFA have effectively overruled the RFEF's decision to hand the Europa League place to one of the two finalists if the final doesn't take place. This year's Copa del Rey final between Athletic Club and Real Sociedad was due to take place on 18 April in Seville, but was cancelled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Now the game is up in the air, and finding a new date depends on when LaLiga can resume. As things stand, Real Sociedad are currently fourth in the table and would qualify for next season's Champions League along with Barcelona, Real Madrid and Sevilla. Athletic are tenth. The team occupying seventh place in the standings is Valencia who, if the Copa del Rey final can't be played, will take up the last Europa League place.
However, if the Copa del Rey final goes ahead, "in its original format", the winners will automatically qualify for European competition. Earlier this month, the RFEF decided on three different outcomes if the Copa final couldn't be played. Even though finding a new date for the final won't be easy, it would seem unlikely that it wouldn't go ahead considering it is an historic occasion with this year's finalists being clubs with the biggest rivalry in the Basque Country. All wil be revealed in the coming weeks...
