May 10, (THEWILL) – From 2024 onwards, UEFA will grant two Champions League berths depending on continental performance.
The governing body of European soccer has revealed that it has reached an agreement with teams seeking to secure UCL qualification if they fail in their home league.
The two best-performing European countries will each receive an extra spot from UEFA. This basically kills the notion to award the top-ranked clubs in favour of a mechanism that determines which countries have had the most success on the continental stage.
England would have benefited if this had been in place this season, with Tottenham Hotspur, West Ham United, and Manchester United being the clubs most concerned about a possible fifth-placed Premier League result.
UEFA has also decided to cut the number of proposed Champions League group games from ten to eight, which is still two more than the existing six. As a result, there will be ten European match weeks, allowing for scheduling flexibility in the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League.
In the official release, President Ceferin said: “UEFA has clearly shown today that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the European sports model.
“Today’s decisions conclude an extensive consultation process during which we listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs and leagues — to find the best solution for the development and success of European football.
“We are convinced that the format chosen strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance and generate solid revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues and into grassroots football.”
The agreement was made in Vienna with the European Club Association (ECA) to avoid the Champions League being too similar to the previously failed Super League.
The Champions League currently has one game left, with the final between Liverpool and Real Madrid scheduled for Saturday, May 28 at the Stade de France, which will be a repeat of the 2018 showpiece, when Gareth Bale’s stunning double secured a 3-1 win for Real Madrid in Kiev and gave them their record-extending 13th European Cup.
Jude Obafemi is a versatile senior Correspondent at THEWILL Newspapers, excelling in sourcing, researching, and delivering sports news stories for both print and digital publications.
