Arsenal
UEFA Confirm Champions League Rule Change That Could See Five Teams Qualify In Future
UEFA have confirmed that from the 2014/15 season the winners of the Europa League will automatically earn a place in the following years Champions League.
UEFA have confirmed that from the 2014/15 season the winners of the Europa League will earn a place in the following years Champions League competition.
Sky Sports have confirmed that the new ruling was ratified by the UEFA Congress in London on Friday morning and it means that the winners of the 2014/15 Europa League will compete in the 2015/16 Champions League.
It’s an interesting rule change that is designed to make the Europa League a more attractive prospect for those that have shown a preference to domestic games and used the Europa League as a way to give squad players more playing time.
Teams like Tottenham have rarely taken the competition too seriously in recent years as they’ve prioritised trying to finish in the top four in the Premier League over winning the Europa League due to the financial rewards qualifying for Europe’s premier tournament brings.
But now that should all change and some may argue it could be just as easy, if not easier, to win the Europa League than finish in the top four in England, so we should see more teams going all-out to try and win the competition from 2015 onward.
It’s also understood that the Europa League winners and Champions League winners will no longer take one of the four places if they finish outside the Champions League qualification spots. So for example, if Tottenham won the Europe League in 2014/15 but finished fifth in the league behind Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal again, the Premier League would have five representatives in the following years Champions League.
However, if a repeat of last season happened again in 2014/15 – whereby Chelsea won the Europe League but finished third in the league – the Premier League wouldn’t gain a fifth spot; we’d still have four representatives (Man Utd, Man City, Chelsea and Arsenal) with fifth-place Tottenham missing out.
More to come on this as we get it, but from what we’ve learned so far this looks to be a positive move by UEFA.
What do you think of the rule change? Will it make teams go all-out to win the Europa League now? Get involved in the comments section below.
Daniel
May 24, 2013 at 12:50 pm
just to clarify…..
Does this mean a potential SIX places avaliable, i.e. Wigan win europa league, Arsenal win Champions league, league positions Man C 1st Man U 2nd Chelsea 3rd Tottenham 4th……
Long shot i know but humour me.
duducane
May 24, 2013 at 1:18 pm
awesome thinking Daniel but Spurs will miss out.Remember they missed out last time when chelski won the champions league but finished 6th and spurs finished 4th.
Daniel
May 24, 2013 at 1:38 pm
Duducane,
But they specified in their report that champions league and europa league winners will no longer take one of the four slots…….
Dee
May 24, 2013 at 2:00 pm
No worries, Spurs will find a way to miss out on CL football.
Football Talk
May 24, 2013 at 5:14 pm
@Daniel
No, in that scenario it’s believed the fourth-placed team in the league would miss out. Sorry, I should have included that scenario in the article.
Cheers
Judeski 001
May 24, 2013 at 12:52 pm
Arsenal should be trophy minded in de coming season, an de should sign in best striker, up gunners,
Omoboriowo
May 24, 2013 at 1:12 pm
Is a gud idier i suport it, he we make EUROPA so much competitives dan b4
duducane
May 24, 2013 at 1:17 pm
awesome thinking Daniel but Spurs will miss out.Remember they missed out last time when chelski won the champions league but finished 6th and spuds finished 4th.
olayemi
May 24, 2013 at 1:20 pm
is a very good rule, uefa god we blessing uefa
damilare
May 24, 2013 at 1:46 pm
I luv UEFA
Okans Lukman
May 24, 2013 at 2:36 pm
Dats very nice one
lawal lukman
May 24, 2013 at 3:18 pm
a gud idea, dis wil make all d competitn vri impotnt n again d league wil b vri compititiv
Delayo
May 24, 2013 at 3:18 pm
That is gOod one from UEFA .
akor
May 24, 2013 at 3:39 pm
duducane answer to danile question is wrong…on my own viewpoint,they will have six representatives
Coleon
May 24, 2013 at 4:08 pm
Spurs will always miss out!
Ahmed dada
May 24, 2013 at 4:29 pm
thank you for change d rule for slow team in euro
Ahmed dada
May 24, 2013 at 4:31 pm
uefa is Good
Nwikwe vincent.
May 24, 2013 at 5:27 pm
So nice nd i luv it!
shut-up
May 24, 2013 at 6:55 pm
what if the winners of both europa cup and uefa champ finishes below fourth position in the same league?
Adediran kehinde taoreed
May 25, 2013 at 12:41 am
Dis new rule is very good but according to Mr. Shut up, if d winer of europa & champions league are not qualify for 1st, 2nd, & 3d what can be done for them?
Johnson
May 25, 2013 at 9:11 am
Don’t you guys understand simple english? Uefa means that If{ chelsea 1st} {arsenal 2nd} {man u 3rd} {man city 4th}and tottenham Win the europea league that’s to say,they will be {5}teams in england premier league that will part take in the champions league the next season including tottenham and the other top four teams
Johnson
May 25, 2013 at 9:12 am
Don’t you guys understand simple english? Uefa means that If{ chelsea 1st} {arsenal 2nd} {man u 3rd} {man city 4th}and tottenham Win the europea league that’s to say,they will be {5}teams in england premier league that will part take in the champions league the next season including tottenham and the other top four teams up chelsea
Orbunde
May 25, 2013 at 10:39 am
A good move from UEFA i do appreciate because the competition for europa league will be high especially to those that have no hope of retaining topfour spot.