The Champions League may change its format for the second time in recent years. Reforms are also rumored to be expected for the national teams' qualification system for the World and European Championships. What exactly could change?
Secret negotiations between the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and representatives of the Super League (a tournament exclusively for the strongest clubs in Europe, announced in 2021, but the project was never launched due to pressure from UEFA. – Ed.) have been ongoing for more than 8 months, reports the Spanish publication COPE. According to it, the parties are discussing possible changes that could come into effect as early as 2027.
The main idea is to maintain the existing system of 'group stage + playoffs' but to introduce changes. The number of participants is set to increase to 36 teams, which will be divided into two groups of 18 clubs each. The first group will consist of the highest-ranked teams, while the second will include the others. Each team will play 8 matches (4 at home and 4 away), but only against opponents from their group. The top 8 clubs from the first group will advance directly to the Round of 16. However, the format for the remaining teams is not yet confirmed: the Round of 32 is being discussed.
One of the main goals of the reform is to raise the level of matches in the group stage and reduce the number of 'uninteresting' games involving clear outsiders. For example, this means that matches like the one between Almaty's Kairat (Kazakhstan) and Madrid's Real (Spain), as seen in the current Champions League, are unlikely to happen again. This will clearly not benefit clubs and fans from less established football nations, who will essentially lose the opportunity to face star teams. At the same time, those who prefer to watch matches only between equally matched opponents will benefit.
Changes are also being considered regarding the broadcasting of Champions League matches. One of the ideas is that traditional television broadcasts will become a thing of the past, and a separate internet platform will be created to show the matches.
CONSIDERING INTERESTS
As for possible changes to the qualification system for international top tournaments, UEFA's main motivation right now is that fan interest and revenues from the broadcasts of such matches are declining, whereas, for example, in the Nations League, where teams of comparable levels mainly play against each other, they are increasing. Therefore, a formula is being sought that would take all interests into account.
One option is to expand the role of the Nations League in the qualification for the World and European Championships. However, there are concerns that the system of promotion and relegation between divisions may reduce the number of matches in which teams not considered giants of world football play against top opponents. Such encounters often bring significant financial profit to modest football nations.
Another discussed option is the adaptation of the Swiss system currently used in the Champions League. According to it, all 55 national European teams would play 6 or 8 matches against different opponents determined by ranking. The results of all games would form a single table that would determine the qualifiers. As a result, the number of matches between football giants would increase. However, matches against a priori weaker opponents would not completely disappear, as such games are also necessary for the development of the sport in smaller countries.
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