How Coppa Italia winner affects race for Europe in Serie A | OneFootball

Serie A will have seven representatives in European competitions next season, regardless of the Coppa Italia winner, who will automatically qualify for the 2025-26 Europa League.

Milan and Bologna will meet in the Coppa Italia Final on Wednesday, May 14 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.

There isn’t only a trophy at stake, but also the chance to qualify for the 2025-26 Europa League.

Bologna and Milan are currently divided by just two points in Serie A. The Rossoblu sit 7th with 62 points, while the Rossoneri are just one spot below with 60. Currently, both sides are outside a European placement.

The Coppa Italia winner will qualify for the 2025-26 Europa League regardless of the final placement in Serie A, so how will this affect the race for Europe in Italy’s top flight?

MILAN, ITALY – MAY 09: Santiago Gimenez of AC Milan scores his team’s third goal as Lukasz Skorupski of Bologna fails to make a save during the Serie A match between AC Milan and Bologna at Stadio Giuseppe Meazza on May 09, 2025 in Milan, Italy. (Photo by Marco Luzzani/Getty Images)

As explained by Calcio&Finanza, there are typically just two spots available for the Europa League: one for the 5th-ranked team in the league and the second for the domestic cup winner.

Quite often, however, the Coppa Italia winner also qualifies for a European competition, which makes the 6th Serie A spot available for the Europa League and the seventh for the Conference League.

There may be an exception this season, as Bologna and Milan haven’t yet guaranteed a European placement for next season.

Serie A will surely have seven representatives in next season’s European competitions, but the Coppa Italia Final will determine which spots will be valid for the Europa League and Conference League.

Scenario 1 – The Coppa Italia winner finishes outside a European placement

Scenario 2 -The Coppa Italia winner gets a European placement in Serie A