Do the Carabao Cup winners qualify for European football?

Playing in European competition is the dream for any top-tier side.

For the big boys - Manchester City, Liverpool, Manchester United etc - it's usually achieved through a high Premier League finish, with every top team worth their salt pushing for a spot in the Champions League.

But the top brass have also enjoyed a monopoly over the Carabao Cup in recent years, dominating the competition since 2014. However, there have been instances of an underdog going all the way to the final before lifting the trophy, delivering memories for supporters that will last a lifetime.

It's not only silverware at stake for the winners, there's something far greater on the line...

Do the Carabao Cup winners qualify for Europe?

In short, yes.

Hoisting aloft England's League Cup has afforded clubs a continental berth since 1966. The winners of this year's Carabao Cup will earn a place in the final qualifying round for the Europa Conference League - UEFA's third-tier tournament behind the Champions League and Europa League.

England is the only UEFA nation that offers the winner of their secondary cup competition European football. France also granted this luxury to its clubs until scrapping the Coupe de la Ligue in 2020.

If the triumphant club has already qualified for European competition via their league position - which has been the case each year since a Michu-inspired Swansea City side won the trophy in 2013 - then that Conference League berth goes to the team with the highest league position outside the existing European places, which will likely be seventh place.

Do the Carabao Cup runners-up qualify for Europe?

The Carabao Cup runners-up do not qualify for Europe.

Should the winners' European spot need to go elsewhere, it'll instead go to the highest finisher in the Premier League who hasn't qualified for Europe.

Have the Carabao Cup winners ever won a European trophy?

Sort of, but not really.

Arsenal progressed into and won the 1993/94 Cup Winners' Cup after winning the EFL Cup in 1993, but they actually qualified for the competition because they'd also won the FA Cup the season prior.

Swansea finished ninth in the league under Michael Laudrup in 2013 but won the EFL Cup - under the guise of Capital One - to qualify for the Europa League. Despite the dramatic drop-off of fallen talisman Michu, Swansea made it through two rounds of qualifying and the group stage to qualify for the knockout round.

Laudrup had left by the time Swansea lined up against Rafa Benitez's Napoli in the round of 32. Garry Monk oversaw a respectable goalless draw at the Liberty Stadium and Swansea were heading through with less than 15 minutes of the second leg to play before Gonzalo Higuain popped up with a decisive strike.

What is the Europa Conference League?

The Europa Conference League was established in 2021 and functions as UEFA's third tier of European competition.

A total of 32 teams compete in the group stage but over 180 take part from the start of qualification. The tournament operates just like the Champions and Europa League, with the winners of the competition qualifying for the Europa League the following season.

How many European spots are open to English sides?

The Premier League's impressive performance in Europe over the past few years has opened up more possibilities in continental competitions.

England's UEFA coefficient is currently the highest by quite some margin which means they have seven European spots open to them. The Premier League's top four automatically qualify for the Champions League, fifth place and the FA Cup winners qualify for the Europa League, while the Carabao Cup winners qualify for the Europa Conference League.

READ THE LATEST CARABAO CUP NEWS, PREVIEWS & RATINGS HERE