27 Apr 2021 15:20:50
Now the ESL appears dead let’s look at UEFA’s revised format for 2024 onwards as it does look a bit of a dogs breakfast.
This is pulled from UEFAs website.
From the 2024/ 25 season, there will be a single league made up of all 36 competing clubs. Teams will play four matches more than is currently the case. They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against 10 different teams, half of them at home and half of them away.
This gives the opportunity for clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents – and also raises the prospect of fans seeing the top teams go head to head more often earlier in the competition.
Qualification for the Champions League will continue to be open and depend on a club’s final position in the previous season’s domestic league competition. The additional four slots available in 2024/ 25 will be allocated according to three different criteria:
* Slot one: One of the additional places will go to the club ranked third in the championship of the association in fifth position in the UEFA national association ranking.
* Slot two: Another will be awarded to a domestic champion by extending from four to five the number of clubs qualifying via the so-called 'Champions Path'.
* Slots three and four: Awarded to the two clubs with the highest club coefficients that have not qualified automatically for the Champions League’s league stage, but have qualified either for the Champions League qualification phase or the Europa League/ the Europa Conference League (due to start in the 2021/ 22 season) .
While the top eight teams will advance automatically to the round of 16, those sides placed between ninth and 24th will enter a play-off round. Those who finished between ninth and 16th will be seeded in the play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th – with home advantage in the second-leg match. Teams who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated, with no access to the UEFA Europa League.
The eight clubs who prevail in the play-offs will then progress to the round of 16 where they will each face one of the top-eight finishers.
I have a few questions.
If the league has 36 teams, how is it determined which 10 teams you get to play? If UEFA want more games between the big teams, how is that fair if the ‘smaller’ teams get to play each other?
It’s more games so more cash but I’m struggling to see how it works with everyone in 1 league.
27 Apr 2021 21:39:54
To be honest I've not looked into it Tony. But like you I'm not sure how it will work. I'm assuming there will be seedings and back door entries for the likes of Liverpool this season if they don't make top 4 or ourselves in the past.
It going to take 17 games to win it.
Uefa locking their lips at a 400 game tournament.
Lots of TV rights to sell lots of packed stadia lots of money. Back door entry I can see why owners would be happy.
27 Apr 2021 22:06:37
It looks convoluted and ridiculous. No doubt we'll end up with a UEFA version of the European Super League, mildly watered down version of what the club's were proposing. It will be open, but not as open as the current set up, with additional seeding weightings to keep the "elite" clubs happy.