Manchester United were unable to salvage their dismal 2024/25 season in the Europa League final against Tottenham.
Brennan Johnson’s scrambled first-half goal was enough to give Spurs a 1-0 win in Bilbao.
It means a United squad that has struggled with a hefty injury list and the demands of Ruben Amorim, who replaced Eric ten Hag at the helm in November, have nothing to show for a season where they were 16th heading into the final weekend of the season in England’s top flight.
As such, following their worst-ever Premier League campaign, the Red Devils will be absent from European competition next season. And that doesn’t happen too often.
MORE: How Brennan Johnson gave Spurs a memorable Europa League final win
When did Man United last miss out on European play?
United have been a fixture in European competitions for much of modern soccer history, especially since Sir Alex Ferguson took charge in 1986.
The European ban for English teams due to the Heysel Stadium disaster of 1985 kept United from competing in Europe. Since then, they have missed out on European play through sporting means just twice.
A 24-year run of consecutive European seasons came to an end in 2014-15, following a seventh-placed Premier League finish under David Moyes in Ferguson’s first year of retirement. Prior to that, the last non-Heysel era miss for Manchester United was in 1981-82.
They will not be playing in Europe in 2025/26, either. Their league position is far too lowly, and they did not win a cup competition that could have given them a route into the Conference League, Europa League or Champions League.
Man United seasons without European play since 1980
| Season | Previous League Finish | Previous European Competition |
|---|---|---|
| 2025/26 | 16th (with one game left) | Europa League (RU) |
| 2014/15 | 7th | Champions League (QF) |
| 1989/90* | 11th | — |
| 1988/89* | 2nd | — |
| 1987/88* | 11th | — |
| 1986/87* | 4th | — |
| 1985/86* | 4th | UEFA Cup (QF) |
| 1981/82 | 8th | UEFA Cup (R1) |
*English clubs banned from UEFA competitions
MORE: Will Man United sack Ruben Amorim? Red Devils manager under scrutiny after losing Europa League final
How much will it cost Man United to miss Europe?
This is tough to calculate, but there are ways to find out the payouts United would miss out on by not participating in a European competition.
First, there’s the Premier League merit payments to each team for its final table finish. For finishing first in 2023/24, Manchester City secured £33.8million. Brentford finished 16th last season, United’s current position, and got £15.2m.
Champions League qualification via Europa League glory had long been United’s only remaining path. They must now look on as Spurs look forward to the £15.7m guaranteed to each team, even if they lose every game and go out at the league phase.
In those eight matches, a win is worth £1.8m, with £590,000 for a draw. Teams that finish in the top eight to qualify automatically from the league phase are given £1.7m each, with £233,000 for each placing. Liverpool finished top of the inaugural league phase and claimed £8.4m.
Getting to each round brings further prizes. The winner of the final between Inter Milan and Paris Saint-Germain in Munich this year will scoop £21.5m. Arsenal’s run to the semifinals earned roughly £70m before accounting for gate receipts and additional commercial revenues.
