The European football governing body, UEFA, and its members are set to confirm a new Champions League format which would give room for more matches and generate more revenue for the participating clubs.
It was reported that the 55 member associations of UEFA are expected to meet on Tuesday, February 9, to carry out final deliberation on the new format and possibly rectify it.
The proposed UEFA Champions League format which will officially start running in 2024 is said to be geared toward ensuring that there is no room for any breakaway super league in the continent.
Recall that there has been a lingering report about a proposed European Super League which intends to rival the present UEFA Champions League. The Super League which is described as a ‘breakaway league’ plans to bring top clubs in the top five leagues in Europe together for a money-spinning seasonal tournament.
It is believed that if such a league is allowed to stand, it will greatly affect the competitiveness of the sport. Hence, the world football governing body, FIFA, has issued a warning to all clubs and players against participating in the proposed super league. Any player who participates in the league will be banned from participating in FIFA and confederations football competitions.
The New UEFA Champions League format
The new Champions League format is expected to increase the number of games each participating club will play. Each club that qualifies for the competition will play at least 10 games with different opponents.
This will be so because, with the new arrangement, the number of clubs that will qualify for the competition will be increased from 32 clubs to 36 clubs. The increased number of matches is expected to drive up the revenue the clubs are expected to generate through the competition.
More so, in the new UEFA Champions League format, there will not be room for group stages. All the 36 clubs that will qualify for the competition will play in a single league format.
The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the knock out stage of the competition. While the next 16 teams will be paired for a play-off. The 8 teams that make it out of the play-off will join the top 8 teams for the round of 16.
Based on the new UEFA Champions League format, there will be a total of 225 UEFA Champions League matches instead of the usual 125 matches from 2024.
It was reported that all the league bodies in Europe including the La Liga and the Premier League have met and discussed the proposed UEFA Champions League format ahead of the general meeting scheduled for Tuesday.
⏪ 2008 final penalty shoot-out…
— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) February 8, 2021
🔴 Edwin van der Sar the Manchester United hero as Sir Alex Ferguson secured his second Champions League title 🏆#UCL | #MondayMotivation | @ManUtd pic.twitter.com/MHFl6eywMr
