New Champions League format: Premier League clubs could qualify by finishing 6th or 7th

From 2024, the Champions League will follow a new format, according to UEFA's official statement. The official statement informs that two UCL places will be given to clubs with a high UEFA coefficient that have not qualified in the domestic league. It means that both Tottenham and Arsenal could qualify despite finishing sixth and seventh in the Premier League. According to the new format, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs. It will give four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. Each club will play 10 league stage games against 10 different opponents (five home games, five away). The top eight clubs will qualify automatically for the knockout stages, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th will face a two-legged play-off for the remaining eight spots. The knockout stages will remain the same. Similar format changes will be applied to UEFA Europa League (8 matches in the league stage) and UEFA Europa Conference League (6 matches in the league stage). Speaking about the new format, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, said: "This new format supports the status and future of the domestic game throughout Europe as well. It retains the principle that domestic performance should be the key to qualification and reconfirms the principles of solidarity right through the game and of open competition. "This evolved format will still keep alive the dream of any team in Europe to participate in the UEFA Champions League thanks to results obtained on the pitch and it will enable long-term viability, prosperity, and growth for everyone in European football, not just a tiny, self-selected cartel. "Football is a social and cultural treasure, enriched with values, traditions and emotions shared across our continent. As the governing body and responsible stewards of the European game, it is UEFA’s role to safeguard this legacy while leading positive future development of football in Europe for national associations, leagues, clubs, players, and fans at every level. "This is why we had an extensive consultation process over the last two years which led to the unanimous backing of our proposal and we are convinced that these reforms achieve those objectives."

Source: GIVEMESPORT

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