Boost For Premier League As UEFA Announce Changes To Champions League

According to the new rule announced in Nyon, France, the top four finishers in Europe’s top four leagues – currently English Premier League, Spanish La Liga, German Bundesliga and Italian Serie A – will receive automatic qualification in the group stage of the Champions League from the 2018/19 season.

Under the present system, the top three leagues – Spain, Germany and England – have three places each while their fourth-placed teams must play off over two legs for a place in the group stage.

The fourth ranked league, currently Italy, have only two guaranteed places plus one in the playoff round.

The changes came after Europe’s top club football officials met to discuss the competition’s format in Monaco on Thursday.

It was gathered that the clubs had discussed the possibility of forming a Super League, possibly even without UEFA’s authorisation.

It was also understood that UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA) met and discussed a variety of options to ward off the threat of a Super League.

Other changes implemented by UEFA, to take effect in 2018 when the new three-year commercial cycle begins, will result in clubs being judged on their own records, deleting the country share for the individual club coefficient unless that coefficient is lower than 20 per cent of the association’s coefficient.

Historical success in the competition will also be acknowledged in coefficient calculation with points awarded for previous European titles, while financial distribution to clubs will be increased significantly for both the Champions League and Europa League.

UEFA General secretary ad interim Theodore Theodoridis told reporters that the Champions League will continue to have a 32-team group stage and a 16-club knockout phase and the Europa League remains at 48 teams, although in a new development the winners will automatically qualify for the Champions League group stage as currently they can potentially take part in a play-off round.

“The evolution of UEFA’s club competitions is the result of a wide-ranging consultative process involving all stakeholders and taking into account a wide range of expertise and perspectives,” Theodoridis said.

“The amendments made will continue to ensure qualification based on sporting merit, and the right of all associations and their clubs to compete in Europe’s elite club competitions.

“We are happy that European football remains united behind the concepts of solidarity, fair competition, fair distribution and good governance.”

ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “I welcome UEFA’s decision, it reflects a serious and fair solution for European club football. I am particularly pleased with the fact that the European football community remains united moving forward.”

The European body said it will announce full details by the end of the year.