Today was supposed to be D-Day for fundamental changes to the Champions League.
The vote has been , but the radical reform of the richest soccer club competition in the world still looks certain to happen.
The current cycle of the Champions League ends in 2024. When it does, UEFA, European soccer’s governing body, wants to introduce a new format.
In this format, four teams will be added to the competition (making it 36 instead of 32) and, rather than group stages, every team will be in a league table. Each club will .So, why would UEFA, and its clubs, want to drastically change the most popular club competition in the world?
The proposed format will create 100 additional Champions League matches. This means more matches to sell to broadcasters, more tickets to sell to fans and more sponsorships to sell to brands. Crucially, it also means more matches between the biggest clubs.
Clubs in the Champions League, by and large already the richest on the continent, will be able to increase revenues and remain the richest. The competition changes will very likely entrench the inequality that already exists in soccer.
