Premier League clubs discussed for the first time on Thursday new Uefa proposals for expanded European club competitions post-2024 which would potentially see six English clubs in the Champions League — the top four plus two upgraded on historic performance.
An option put in front of the 20 clubs on the February shareholders’ call on Thursday afternoon, one of the so-called “Swiss model” ideas, would see 36 clubs in a new look Champions League post 2024.
Those clubs would each play 10 group games, with fixtures based on seeding, and be placed from first to 36th in a league table at the end of the stage.
Critically, qualification for this new Champions League could be earned by clubs finishing outside the top four by Uefa co-efficient – a metric measuring historical performance.
Under the 36-team proposal, the Premier League would be given seven places in Europe: four in the Champions League, two in the Europa League and one in the new Uefa Europa Conference League to be launched from next season.
Any club finishing outside the Premier League’s top four automatic Champions League places — but in fifth to seventh place — could potentially be upgraded to the Champions League by virtue of their co-efficient.
For example, should Manchester United finish seventh in the Premier League – only good for an automatic Uefa Conference League place, they could see their co-efficient “boost” them up to a Champions League place.
Any Premier League club finishing outside the top seven would be unable to qualify for European football, regardless of their co-efficient.
It means that depending on the final Premier League position of certain clubs, and the strength of their co-efficient relative to clubs across other European leagues in equivalent positions, there could be as many as six English Champions League teams in one season.
That would consist of the top four automatic qualifiers and two more who have been boosted up by their co-efficient.
Their vacated places in the Europa and Conference Leagues would not be taken by other English clubs.
Under this proposal, the total of English clubs in all European competitions would be capped at seven.
In a scenario where two extra English clubs are boosted up to the Champions League there would be a total of six in that competition and one in the Europa League.
Of the 36-team league playing 10 matches each, an equal number home and away, the top eight clubs would then qualify automatically for the next round, the first knockout round of 16.
The clubs placed from ninth to 24th would play off to go into that round of 16.
There would be a total of 19 matchdays and 225 matches.
There are currently 32 clubs in the Champions League and 48 in the Europa League.
Under new proposals that would be adjusted to 36 in the Champions League and 32 in both the Europa League and the new Conference League.
The Premier League clubs discussed the proposals but no decisions were made.
They will eventually agree on a set of recommendations which will be fed back to Uefa.
There was no discussion of a putative breakaway, the European super league.
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No model has yet been suggested for the new distribution of revenue.
The Telegraph
This article was most recently revised and updated 4 years ago