As the Premier League season gets underway again, those in the top half of the table will bravely fight for their place in the coveted ‘top four’ to secure qualification for the Champions League – the club’s most prestigious competition in European football.
It’s been a staple of English football for what now feels like forever – finish in the top four and you’ll get your chance on the biggest stage for the biggest trophy. Of course, there have been exceptions over the years – Liverpool winning the competition in 2005 meant that the Premier League was given five teams in the competition, while La Liga was the first league with five clubs to make the stage in group in 2016.
And after Manchester City lifted the UCL for the first time in their club’s history last season, an English club entered the competition as holders for the second time in the last three years.
However, that is about to change – possibly. English clubs only need to finish in the top five to qualify for the competition, something that will undoubtedly be a huge benefit to teams like Chelsea and Tottenham who have improved from 12th and eighth place last season. end each.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin was adamant that the decision to reform the competition was the right one, and that it would “keep alive the dream of any team in Europe”.
“Our model is based on sporting merit,” Ceferin SAYS when the model was announced back in 2021. “Where we come from, merit has no value. Merit cannot be earned, and merit cannot be earned.
READ MORE: Chelsea news and transfers LIVE: Deal ‘confirmed’, Romeo Lavia agrees, Michael Olise close
“It can only be taken. Season by season. On and off the pitch. There is no place for cartels on this continent. I think we made that clear, everybody.”
How will the new Champions League format work?
The Champions League now goes from 32 places to 36 with the group stage of the competition completely scrapped in favor of a new league-style system.
Each club is now guaranteed four home matches and four away matches against eight different opponents, with the selections chosen at random as opposed to the usual six group stage games.
Clubs that finish in the top eight of the league will automatically qualify for the knockout stages while teams placed ninth to 24th in the league system will play a two-legged play-off final to find out. whether they can enter the knockouts or not.
Which league gained more places?
There are four additional areas up for grabs with the new system.
One of the four places will go to the third-ranked club in the association championship in fifth position in UEFA’s national association ranking while the other will be awarded to a domestic champion by expanding the number of eligible clubs for competition from four to five. through the so-called ‘Champions Path’.
The last two places go to the associations with the best collective performance of their clubs in the previous season (total number of points obtained divided by the number of participating clubs). This means that in last season’s competition, Liverpool and Atalanta will qualify for finishing fifth in their respective domestic leagues based on the collective finishing places of the English and Italian teams.
Will the format affect the Premier League and other domestic leagues?
The format is likely to significantly affect teams’ domestic seasons due to the potential need to play four additional ‘group’ games, with an additional two playoff-final games potentially required if the team finishes between ninth and 24th.
The competition will now go from 125 games to 225 in total, meaning it’s not just the Premier League that will be heavily affected. The players have previously argued that there are enough competitions to play at the highest level – with a lot of discussion taking place during last year’s winter World Cup in the middle of the European season because it took place in Qatar.
If the Premier League is awarded five places in the Champions League, will the Europa Conference League qualification place fall to the eighth?
If the local competitions that distribute the Champions League places are won by clubs or the same club that finishes in the top seven, yes. This means there could be eight Premier League teams with European campaigns next season.
With more and more clubs gaining on the so-called ‘Big Six’ teams, the extra places for European football qualification could be a reprieve for those struggling to stay competitive.
Chelsea faced their worst season in the Premier League last year and although they are sure to bounce back under Mauricio Pochettino and his revamped squad, the knowledge of the extra places will bring comfort to the fans.
Like Liverpool last season, Tottenham will also be awarded a spot in the ECL due to their eighth finish and Manchester United winning the Carabao Cup and Manchester City winning the FA Cup.