Champions League is set for a big revamp
UEFA’s executive will meet today for a landmark summit set to shape the future of European football.
Radical Champions League reform has been on the cards for a long time.
In recent seasons, Scottish clubs have been mere observers of UEFA’s flagship tournament.
However, with the possibility of both Celtic and Rangers competing in next season’s group stage, the issue has become more relevant than ever.
The direction of travel in European football has been set for some time and it’s a path which has primarily benefited clubs in the “top five” leagues – England, Spain, Germany, Italy and France.
Scotland’s coefficient has now improved to the point where the Premiership champions are now automatic qualifiers.
However, in years to come they could find themselves playing in a very different tournament to the one just now.
For example, UEFA – headed by Aleksander Ceferin– have looked at the breathtaking thrills and spills served up in the knockout stages in recent seasons and proposed that what’s needed is more group games.
One of the most prominent proposed changes would be a group stage that consists of 10 fixtures instead of six which, before anything else, has considerable implications for already-packed domestic schedules.
That’s just one of the issues on the agenda. But perhaps of most interest to Scottish football fans is the debate on qualification.
From 2024, the Champions League could welcome two extra clubs into the group stage and the debate there is likely to centre on who benefits from that.