Chelsea and Strasbourg, the two teams owned by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital, say plans are already in place to satisfy UEFA’s regulations should they both qualify for the same European competition next season.
Sources say the French side would be placed into a ‘blind trust’ so as to separate them from their English counterparts while potential conflicts, such as board members who have been working simultaneously across the two sister clubs, have already been addressed.
It would ultimately require ratifying by UEFA, who this season demoted Crystal Palace to the Conference League despite them qualifying for the Europa League because of their shared connection with Lyon which breached multi-club ownership rules.
One potential problem for Chelsea and Strasbourg is that they would not be allowed to conduct transfer business with each other in 2026-27. The sister clubs have regularly traded players in previous years.
Chelsea have started struggling in their chase for Champions League football, and could now end up in the Europa League or even the Conference League. They are also in the semi-finals of the FA Cup – the winner of which will qualify for the Europa League.
Strasbourg are eighth in Ligue 1, and in the semi-finals of the Coupe de France and the Conference League. Winning either of those competitions would gain them access to the Europa League.
Under UEFA rules, if a club is excluded from European competition due to non‑compliance, it would be inflicted on the team that finishes lower in its domestic league.
Strasbourg booked their place in the Conference League semi-finals on Thursday night, with the Ligue 1 side beating Mainz 4-2 on aggregate.
Gary O’Neil’s team will meet Rayo Vallecano in the last four, with the winners taking on either Crystal Palace or Shakhtar Donetsk in the final in Leipzig next month.
If Strasbourg were to win the Conference League and Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League, both clubs would qualify for next season’s Europa League.
UEFA does not permit two clubs within an ownership group to play in the same European competition, with the governing body warning clubs in December they were at risk of being thrown out.
Under UEFA rules, the club that finished lower in their domestic league would drop out of competition. This played out this season when Crystal Palace were demoted to the Conference League, while Lyon kept their Europa League berth.
Strasbourg are currently eighth in Ligue 1, while Chelsea are sixth in the Premier League.
Following this week’s European ties, it remains possible for 10 English clubs to book their place in continental competitions next season.
Previously as many as 11 could have had players reaching for their passports, but that prospect ended with Liverpool’s elimination from the Champions League.
In that scenario, the Reds would have to have finished outside the Premier League’s European spots, but secured a berth in next year’s competition by lifting the trophy in Budapest.
Liverpool are now dependent on their final league position to qualify after losing to Paris Saint-Germain.
After the Premier League secured one of UEFA’s two European Performance Spots for the second season in a row, five teams from the top flight are guaranteed to be competing in next season’s Champions League.
Arsenal, Man City, Man United, Aston Villa and Liverpool would clinch those spots as it stands.
Chelsea are on course for the Europa League and seventh-place Brentford are in the Conference League spot.
An eighth European spot is already confirmed, with Europa League qualification on offer for the winner of the FA Cup.
Leeds and Southampton would qualify if either team triumphs at Wembley, while a Man City win would mean the club seventh in the Premier League would receive the Europa League spot, with the eighth qualifying for the Conference League.
The same situation would play out if Chelsea secure a top-six finish in the Premier League, and win the FA Cup.
The fortunes of Nottingham Forest and Crystal Palace will be crucial to determining whether there are 10 English clubs in Europe.
Forest can secure Champions League qualification should they win the Europa League, as Tottenham did last season.
This would mean six English clubs would qualify for Europe’s elite club competition. The same would be true if Aston Villa were to win the Europa League, while also finishing outside the top six in the league.
If either of those scenarios occur, Crystal Palace could then make it 10 clubs in Europe should they win the Conference League to secure a Europa League spot for next season.
