Champions League 36-team expansion plans could be finalised this month
Plans to expand the Champions League to a 36-team tournament could be finalised within the next few weeks.
The proposal would see an extra four clubs join the group stages from 2024 and teams would play 10 matches in a 36-team overall league, rather than the current format which sees eight groups of four teams each playing six matches.
European Clubs’ Association (ECA) chairman Andrea Agnelli expects the final details of the expansion to be resolved in the next couple of weeks.
“I would dearly hope that everything would be done within the next couple of weeks,” he said at the ECA general assembly.
“There are details that need to be addressed, one being the access to the competitions – if we have four extra spots, how will these be allocated. But I would say within a couple of weeks everything should be pretty much sorted.
“That’s the hope that both (UEFA) president (Aleksander) Ceferin and I have for the competitions post 2024.”
It is not yet known how the extra four places would be allocated, with the BBC reporting that they could go to champions of ‘middle-tier’ countries or might be wildcards, so countries like England could get a fifth place.
While the move could end talk of a European Super League (ESL), it also raises questions about where the extra four group-stage fixtures would fit into the calendar.
One option could be to scrap the Carabao Cup or reduce the size of the Premier League, although the latter idea was dismissed when ‘Project Big Picture’ was mooted last year.
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“The balance we are trying to strike is one-third international and two-thirds domestic,” said Agnelli.
“We do think for competitive balance purposes, 20-team leagues is too many…It’s very close to an ideal Champions League, so maybe we’re just a couple of weeks away.”