West Ham United are in pole position to play in the Europa League next season after England was confirmed as one of the top three nations in UEFA's Fair Play ranking.
The Netherlands, England and the Republic of Ireland will each get an additional place, which is given to the team that tops each association's own fair play table.
Liverpool currently sit top, but as they are almost certain to qualify for Europe via the league the place passes to the second-placed club, which is currently West Ham.
The Hammers only hold a slender advantage over Everton, while Burnley and Southampton are also in contention and the table could change over the final three rounds of Premier League matches. If Burnley win the place they would still be eligible even if they are relegated to the Championship.
However, qualifying for Europe via the fair play route could be seen as a poisoned chalice, as it only carries a place in the Europa League first qualifying round. Those ties are scheduled to take place on July 2 and 9, which means a very short summer break for one Premier League team.
If Everton qualify it is sure to send their preseason plans into chaos, as they are due to take part in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Singapore with games on Wednesday, July 15 and Saturday, July 18 -- the first leg of the Europa League second qualifying round is set for July 16.
Toffees boss Roberto Martinez said earlier this week: "The Fair Play League is something I don't want to think about, because over the years, there have been a lot of twists and turns that you can't really control.
"I don't want to waste any time on that. Whatever happens, we'll take it."
This is the last season UEFA will award places in Europe based on fair play. From next season, national associations will be awarded prize money to donate to amateur or professional clubs of its choice, for fair play or respect-themed projects.
Fair Play is calculated using a variety of criteria, including discipline, positive play, respect to the opponents and the referee and the behaviour of fans. Fulham were the last English team to qualify via fair play in 2011.