A new format for the UEFA Champions League after 2024
The president of the European Football Club and Juventus, Andrea Agnelli, revealed on Monday that the official agreement regarding the future of the UEFA Champions League after 2024 could be concluded "in the next few weeks."
"In a few weeks, everything must be settled in one way or another," Agnelli said after the European Club Association’s General Assembly, stressing the consensus to amend the group stage format and raise the number of participating teams from 32 to 36. He
stated that the main question asked is who will allocate these. "The additional four places", should the French League be awarded a fourth place?
Should runners from the lowest ranked leagues win a direct seat?
Or should it be dedicated to the old clubs in Europe, given its glorious history on the continent?
The European League insists that the continental participation of clubs is based on the results they achieve in their domestic tournaments, while a system based on the European Union's classification of the game favors clubs such as Arsenal and Liverpool of England or Borussia Dortmund, even if their local ranking does not entitle them to participate.
But except for this sticking point, the move to what has become known as the "Swiss system" is now a foregone conclusion and "very close to reaching an ideal Champions League", according to Agnelli.
The new system is supposed to start in 2024, in light of his fear of adopting a counterpart "Super League" tournament that includes only the major clubs in the old continent.
Agnelli touched on the "Sport League" saying, "Regarding these speculations, they have been in existence for 20 years," while this repeated threat of secession allows the major clubs to pressure the European Union in defense of their interests.
According to the "Swiss System", all 36 teams will participate in one league and face ten different clubs, in the most prominent indicators of reform in the world-famous club competition.
After drawing lots and determining group heads, each team plays five games at home and then five games away from home, against clubs of different levels.
The new system is designed to compete with fewer marginal matches in groups and more between the top clubs on the continent.
After playing ten matches, the top 16 clubs in the standings qualify for the final round, and the clubs between the 17th and 24th places will qualify for the European League "Europa League".
In the first knockout round, the leader, who is in the 16th place, faces the last, and the second faces the fifteenth ... in a somewhat similar system to the elimination rounds in the NBA.
Thirty-two teams are currently playing in the group stage, with four clubs in eight groups. The leaders and runners-up qualify to the round of 16 after playing 6 matches, while the third will move to the alternate "Europa League" tournament.
Previous proposals included distributing clubs to four groups of eight clubs each has been excluded.
Follow our latest local and sports news, and the latest political and economic developments via Google news