Nottingham Forest will be playing in Europe next season after securing a spot in the UEFA Conference League. Qualifying for European football for the first time in 30 years is a remarkable feat for a side that narrowly avoided relegation a year ago. LWOF has rounded up how the Conference League play-offs work, which other teams have qualified, and how European football will benefit the club’s transfer policy.
Nottingham ForestQualify for UEFA Conference League: How Do the Playoffs Work and Who Could They Face?
How Do the Conference League Playoffs Work?
Unlike Europe’s other two competitions, teams in the Conference League have to go through a qualifying process to reach the 36-team league phase, which will be returning for a second season. There are four rounds to the qualifiers, culminating in a two-leg play-off match to secure a place in the Conference League proper.
The round in which teams enter this qualifying process is based on theirUEFA coefficient rankings, which means that Nottingham Forest will only have to play in the final play-off round to reach the tournament, courtesy of England topping the rankings. The play-offs will be held on 21 and 28 August, and Forest will only know their opponent after the conclusion of the third qualifying round on August 14.
When Does the League Phase Start?
Should Forest win their play-off tie, their first of six league phase matches will take place on 2 October, with the tournament’s initial phase ending on 18 December. Finish in the top eight, and the Tricky Trees will automatically qualify for the Round of 16 which will take place in March.
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If Nuno’s side finish between ninth and 24th in the league phase, they will have to play a play-off tie in February to reach the knockout stages of the competition.
Who Could Forest Face in Next Season’s Conference League?
The only four other teams guaranteed to reach the qualifying play-off round are two-time finalists Fiorentina (Italy), Strasbourg (France), Rayo Vallecano (Spain) and Mainz (Germany). This is because only the top five countries in UEFA’s coefficient rankings will enter the qualifying phase in the play-off round.
Other notable teams that will be competing in the qualifying phase include Portugal’s Santa Clara, whoare based some 850 miles off the coast of Portugal in the Azores Islands, meaning Nuno’s side could have a serious away day on their hands. Elsewhere, Dundee United (Scotland), AZ (the Netherlands), Istanbul Basaksehir (Turkey) and Sparta Praha (Czechia) could all be difficult opponents.
Thankfully for the Midlands side, they will be seeded for the play-off round, so will likely face a weaker opponent. With teams from nations such as Gibraltar, San Marino, and Andorra all in the pot, it would be a crushing disappointment if Nuno’s sidedon’t reach the league phase.
How Will the Conference League Impact Forest’s Transfer Plans?
Although Europe’s third-tier competition doesn’t provide the sort of cash injection offered by the Champions League, where clubs earn a guaranteed £15.7 million for qualifying, it does offer a welcome financial boost. Reaching the league phase will earn the Tricky Trees £2.6 million, prize money that will increase to around £15 million if Forestwin the entire competition.
European qualification will also make the City Ground a more attractive destination for the club’s transfer targets, giving them the edge on Premier League rivals who failed to finish in the top seven.
However, with the possibility of an additional 15 matches, including mid-week trips abroad, Forest will need to dramatically increase the size of their squad.Nuno called on just 23 players last season, the least in the Premier League, highlighting that the club are over-reliant on their key players, which could make it very difficult to balance their domestic and European matches.