What Will The Champions League Changes Look Like?

Every football fan has an opinion about who will claim the trophy this year for the Champions League. Some are leaning on free football tips from experts, while others have concocted an analogy independently. Bayern Munich are currently the favourites to win, closely followed by Manchester City.

However, among the yearly guessing games of which teams will gain the top spot, there is another matter, or issue rather, that’s caught the attention of fans and football associations. This issue could forever change the composition of future Champions League events.

For more information about the potential modifications that are likely to occur in 2024, you can find the news so far on the proposed changes below.

New Plans for the Champions League

Fifty-five national association members from the UEFA have recently discussed plans to change the Champions league’s structure in a few years.

The new plans highlight an increase in competitive teams from 32 to 36. As a result, each team will partake in 10 or more games against various clubs. Furthermore, the current group stages will be replaced. 

The qualification to enter the knockout round in the league would automatically apply to the top 8 teams. The following 16 teams in the league table would battle it out on the field to qualify for the remaining eight places.

However, there are multiple concerns about the plans. For example, numerous additional matches will pose a challenge for clubs and potentially threaten England’s Carabao Cup.

But the looming threat of a potential European Super League is pushing UEFA to go through with the changes regardless.

European Super League

Talks of a Super League have circulated since the eighties. The proposal, which Der Spiegel uncovered in 2018, revealed the elite football clubs in Europe would leave the UEFA and begin their own league this year. 

The proposal was and continues to be at the forefront of UEFA’s concerns. As the threat of a European Super League could cause domestic teams and matches to become overshadowed.

According to the proposal for a European Super League, teams with an impeccable history in football and a firm financial footing would be chosen. 

The Super League proposal unveiled in 2018 also detailed clubs that are likely to form the new league. Teams included Barcelona, Real Madrid, Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United, Liverpool, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain Juventus, AC Milan, and Bayern Munich.

Consequently, the chosen clubs would become a part of an exclusive league. In turn, excluding other lower league, yet good teams from the world of football.

In a nutshell, a European Super League would create a gulf between the rich and poor clubs. Consequently, the chosen clubs would become more affluent, and lower league teams would struggle to afford to maintain and run their teams.

European League Body Raises “Strong Concerns” Over Plans

The European body intends to represent and maintain the equilibrium between domestic leagues throughout Europe. 

While the proposal isn’t as radical as those which surfaced in 2019, the European league body has stated the body is sceptical about increasing domestic matches. Especially when the calendar is already congested.

If the new proposal by UEFA goes ahead, instead of 125 games, there will be 225!

As an alternative solution, other sources close to the UEFA discussions have recommended a steady increase in matches from six to eight.

Uefa Coefficient Plan

Other rules related to UEFA’s proposal define three clubs that could gain access to the league based on past performance. 

For example, suppose Real Madrid didn’t qualify to enter the league as per the conventional route. They could earn a spot in the competition based on the team’s strong historical performance. 

For some, this element adds an exciting twist to the new and improved Champions League.

In other instances, the UEFA Coefficient plan has been heavily criticized. As sources believe, the extra places should be used to welcome national champions from other countries that may not conventionally qualify. Rather than allowing major teams in Europe from the ‘Big5’ to enter based on their historical performance.

UEFA’s former chief executive recently stressed that entering teams based on historic coefficients will cause a closed Champions League, because places will be allocated to the ‘elite teams’ in Europe.

The Champions Leagues’ Future

Discussions between European Leagues, the ECA, UEFA, and stakeholders are still taking place concerning the Championships Leagues future.

While more games and potential revenue are possible benefits for Championship League teams and football fans. The extra toll games will take on footballers, and their managers could be detrimental to their performance on the pitch. Particularly when more matches mean a reduction in footballers’ time to recuperate and train for the upcoming games.

As such, the European Super League may not be the threat that could cause the Champions League’s downfall. The UEFA could very well cause it by ramping up the matches.

Of course, a potential increase in remuneration will play a crucial part in determining whether the clubs will be happy to oblige to the new Champions League rules.

Plus, lower league teams keen to maintain a position in the Champions League and avoid a European Super League wiping out their career. Will also drive clubs to jump on board with the new proposal. As such, the move towards a reform of the league by 2024 is highly likely.