Nottingham Forest’s remarkable push for a place in the UEFA Champions League came to a painful halt on the final day of the Premier League season, as a 1-0 home defeat to Chelsea condemned the East Midlands club to seventh place – and a spot in next season’s UEFA Europa Conference League.
For much of the campaign, Nottingham Forest had defied expectations.
Just three seasons removed from Championship football, they emerged as one of the league’s surprise packages under the guidance of Nuno Espírito Santo.
With a disciplined backline, a revitalised midfield, and brilliance in clinical attacking play, the Reds spent much of the second half of the season inside the top five.
But when it mattered most, results slipped through their fingers.
The month of May certainly saw a decline in intensity from the Trickytrees in comparison to the majority of their campaign.
They accumulated only five points from a potential 12, and the final-day loss to a resurgent Chelsea, who themselves were battling for Europe, proved to be the undoing of what could have been a historic achievement.
Newcastle’s shock defeat to Everton elsewhere opened the door, but Nottingham Forest couldn’t take advantage.
A Setback With Financial Sting
Failing to qualify for the Champions League comes with tangible consequences.
The competition’s vast financial rewards – broadcast revenue, matchday earnings, and increased sponsorship – would have provided Forest with a significant windfall, crucial for a club trying to grow sustainably while investing in squad depth and infrastructure.
That said, it is worth remembering how far the club has come in such a short space of time. Securing seventh place in a fiercely competitive league is no small feat.
It marks their highest finish since the 1994/95 season and earns them a deserved place in the Europa Conference League – a competition that may lack the glamour of the Champions League but offers something far more valuable at this stage in Nottingham Forest’s journey: a realistic path to silverware.
West Ham United’s Conference League title in 2023, followed by Aston Villa’s run to the semi-finals a year later, has changed perceptions of the competition.
For clubs outside the established top four, it offers the perfect blend of European prestige and competitive balance. For Nottingham Forest, it might just be the ideal proving ground.
Rather than measuring themselves against Europe’s elite, Nottingham Forest can now look to carve out a continental identity in a setting that encourages growth, experimentation, and confidence-building.
The chance to lift a European trophy – not just compete – feels real.
Nottingham Forest Roots in European History
For a club with Forest’s history, the return to European football means more than just continental travel and midweek fixtures.
It revives memories of a golden era – the Brian Clough years – when Forest stunned Europe to win back-to-back European Cups in 1979 and 1980.
Those triumphs remain etched into football folklore and continue to define the club’s identity.
While the Europa Conference League is a different beast, it offers an opportunity to build something new without forgetting the past.
It’s a bridge between eras – a new story that connects the club’s historic highs to its modern-day resurgence.
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A Squad Ready to Learn
Forest’s young, dynamic squad stands to benefit enormously from the experience.
Players like Morgan Gibbs-White, Antony Elanga, Chris Wood, Matz Sels, and Murillo have played starring roles this season and now have the chance to test themselves on a new stage.
European football, even at its third tier, brings new tactical challenges, unfamiliar opponents, and valuable lessons in professionalism and consistency.
It also puts added demands on squad depth and rotation, areas the club will need to address in the transfer market.
Competing on two fronts requires resilience, but Forest now has the blueprint and momentum to build.
There is no doubt the immediate aftermath will sting. To come so close to the Champions League – football’s most coveted club stage – only to fall at the final hurdle is a bitter pill.
But if there’s a silver lining, it’s that Nottingham Forest have earned their seat at the European table again.
The Conference League may not have been the dream. But it might just be the launchpad.
A more achievable prize, a tangible chance at a title, and a meaningful next step for a club whose upward curve is far from finished.
The Champions League dream is over – for now. But the European journey is only just beginning.
Main Photo
Credit: IMAGO / NurPhoto
Recording Date: 25.05.2025