At this stage, this would see the Premier League, LaLiga, the Bundesliga and Serie A all enter four sides at the group stage, ensuring less diversity across Europe’s top-tier tournament.
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The top four leagues in Europe will be guaranteed four places in the group stage of the Champions League from the 2018/19 season, UEFA confirmed on Friday.
There are now three guaranteed spots in the group stage for the Premier League, with the fourth needing to contest a play-off before securing qualification.
The threat of a breakaway European Super League had appeared significant earlier this year, and Press Association Sport reports that the biggest push for change has come from Spain and Italy, the nation that looks set to benefit the most from the adjustment. Despite calls for a “Super League” to be introduced in recent years, the reforms stop short of offering established clubs automatic progression on stature alone.
ECA chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge said: “I welcome UEFA’s decision, it reflects a serious and fair solution for European club football. Now we are in the Champions League and we have another wonderful opportunity to show our quality”, Ranieri told the club’s website.
UEFA also confirmed that winners of the Europa League, will automatically qualify for the group stage too.
Points will be yielded for past European titles yet weighted towards later achievement in the Champions league and Europa League.
Manchester United, Liverpool, Chelsea, AC Milan and Inter Milan – all Champions League winners in the past 12 seasons – were missing from Thursday’s draw.
Adjustments to the current format of the Champions League can only begin in 2018 as that is when the next three-year commercial cycle starts.
Currently, 22 of the 32 slots are guaranteed to teams from 12 different leagues, including titleholders from Belgium, Switzerland, and Turkey.
The final major change is in the way the money paid to clubs is calculated.
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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.
