Africa-Press – Eswatini. Revolution in perspective. UEFA, which oversees European football, is considering ending the two-legged Champions League semi-finals.
According to The Times, which advanced this possible claim by the entity led by Aleksander Ceferín, the Nyon-based body plans to adopt the “final four” system for the establishment of the winner of the millionaire league from 2024.
The Times newspaper also mentions that the possible UEFA plan, which will further reshape the competitive framework, has the support of the ECA (European Association of European Clubs), led by the president of Paris Saint-Germain, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.
Ceferín, as it were, had given a vote in favor of the change. “Even if you lose two games (second legs) you can get more revenue. It can be a fantastic event for television and sponsors. In a single week, you could have the final of the women’s Champions League or youth competitions, a formidable week football. These knockout games are more exciting”, said the European leader.
The “final four” format, which concentrates three games (two semi-finals and one final) in the same stadium, is already used in some of UEFA’s own competitions, such as the Youth League, recently won by Benfica, or the Futsal Champions, and even in Portugal, in the case of the League Cup, a competition organized by the League.
For sure, for now, there is only one: in 2024, the Champions League will change the competitive outfit in terms of the number of groups, teams, games and qualification for the “eighths”: from the 24/25 season, there will be only one league composed of the 36 participating clubs and not the current 32 separated into eight groups.
This future format, confirmed by UEFA, will allow the teams to play four more games, without facing three opponents twice (home and away), so they will measure forces with ten different teams. The top eight will go straight to the round of 16, while those placed between ninth and 24th will compete in a play-off. two-legged qualifiers to the final.
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