UEFA has announced that four teams from the top four European leagues will get automatic Champions League places from 2018-19.
Advertisement
Now the top three leagues receive three guaranteed spots plus a chance for an additional team to qualify through playoffs – the fourth league has two guaranteed spots with an additional two teams qualifying through the playoffs.
In recent seasons, Italy typically has had only two group-stage teams because Serie A’s third-place team often loses in the playoffs.
In other changes, clubs are now to be judged on their own success in terms of coefficients, rather than relying on that of the league as a whole.
The changes came after Europe’s top clubs discussed the possibility of forming a Super League, possibly without Uefa’s authorisation.
“We reached the semi-final last season and we want to go far in the Champions League again”.
Holders Real Madrid have been drawn with Borussia Dortmund, Sporting Lisbon and Legia Warsaw in the group stages of the Champions League, while Barcelona will face Manchester City and Bayern Munich will face old foes Atletico Madrid.
Spurs’ draw also seemed relatively kind and in Monaco they will be facing a side they beat 4-1 at home in the Europa League group stages last season. Michael van Praag, Angel Maria Villar and Aleksandar Ceferin, the heads of the Dutch, Spanish and Slovenian federations respectively, are the three candidates.
He helped the Catalans, who are five-time European champions, win the Champions League in 2009 and 2011.
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola before the UEFA Champions League Play-off, Second Leg match at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester.
UEFA has confirmed the change will be introduced in two years, as part of its reformatting of European club football’s top competition.
UEFA says the “market pool” system – which steers money to clubs in England, Germany, and Italy, where the rights deals are bigger – will be changed to reward better results in the competition.
“I am particularly pleased with the fact that the European football community remains united moving forward”.
Advertisement
Many clubs have expressed concerns – primarily through the ECA – about the qualifying criteria and format of UEFA club competitions.
