Proposed changes to CL Qualification

Europa League winners could earn Champions League place
23 May 2013 Last updated at 17:21

Uefa will announce on Friday whether the Europa League winners will be rewarded with a Champions League qualifying spot from 2016.

The move would be designed to boost interest in Europe's secondary club tournament.

The decision follows months of discussions between the European Club Association (ECA) and Uefa officials.
   
Meanwhile, Berlin's Olympic Stadium has been revealed as the venue for the Champions League final in 2015.

That year's Europa League decider will be at Warsaw's National Stadium, which staged the opening game of Euro 2012.

The Europa League generates far less income and media attention than the Champions League.

The governing body has tried a number of initiatives to increase interest, with previous attempts including the change of name from Uefa Cup to its current title in 2009.

Currently, teams who finish third in their Champions League group drop into the competition.

This season's final was contested between two teams who entered that way, Chelsea beating Benfica 2-1 in Amsterdam.

Uefa is also expected to announce it will raise the maximum number of Champions League qualifiers per country from four to five, if the winners of the Europa League from 2015-16 do not finish in their domestic league's qualifying places for the Champions League.

Should the winners of both European competitions come from the same country and not finish in their league's qualifying places, both would be in the Champions League the following season.

Uefa is keen to avoid a repeat of the scenario that happened in the Premier League in 2011-12 when Chelsea won the Champions League and Tottenham were placed into the Europa League despite finishing fourth in the top flight.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/football/22640095

About F***ing time the Europa League winners earn a spot in the CL. Gives the competition a whole lot more meaning for bigger clubs who turn their nose at it.

Finnally! I hope this goes through, been saying that should happen for a few seasons.

The governing body has tried a number of initiatives to increase interest, with previous attempts including the change of name from Uefa Cup to its current title in 2009.

Really? I'm pretty sure returning the CL to a European Cup format with only league winners would dramatically raise the profile of the second competition but they don't want to do that do they?

££££££££££££££££

That's the way it works in South America. The winner of Copa Sulamericana earn a place in next year's Libertadores.

Only works for me if they stop parachuting teams from the CL into the EL.

As oppposed to parachuting non-champions from around Europe into a rebranded European Cup???

Nice idea in theory, utterly futile if the UEFA Cup winners and/or finalists have already qualified for the European Cup via their league position.

Nice idea in theory, utterly futile if the UEFA Cup winners and/or finalists have already qualified for the European Cup via their league position.

That is a point that I have seen raised quite a lot since the story broke earlier/yesterday. It turns out that in the past 11 seasons the winner has qualified for the following season's Champions League through their league position on 8 occasions, 2 of the 3 that didn't had qualified for the Europa League. So really it isn't that much of an exciting rule to be honest. Based on previous years not much will really change.

Well if the winners are Champions League drop outs it will change nothing.
If the change is to be relevant surely 3rd in CL group stages should be left out.

Well if the winners are Champions League drop outs it will change nothing.
If the change is to be relevant surely 3rd in CL group stages should be left out.

Another thing I worked out is that in the past 11 Europa League/UEFA Cup finals - the winner  has been a Champions League drop out on 4 out of the 11 occasions. The other 7 were teams who started in the Europa League.

Well if the winners are Champions League drop outs it will change nothing.
If the change is to be relevant surely 3rd in CL group stages should be left out.

As I understand it mate, if the EL winners have already qualified for CL like the Chavs this year then the 4th or 5th placed Club in the domestic league take that qualifying place.  In this seasons case that would be the Spuds.

As I understand it mate, if the EL winners have already qualified for CL like the Chavs this year then the 4th or 5th placed Club in the domestic league take that qualifying place.  In this seasons case that would be the Spuds.

In the Champion's League?
Should be given to the defeated finalist first.

In the Champion's League?
Should be given to the defeated finalist first.

Apparently so mate.  If the winner has already qualified for CL through their domestic league position then it creates an extra qualification place for that league. 

In the EPL case it'll be 5 qualifying places instead of 4.

As you say though, it's pretty pointless when they continue to allow teams finishing 3rd in the CL group stages to go straight to the EL.  If UEFA think it's unfair for them to drop out of European competition then create a new competition for all the 3rd and 4th placed losers 

As you say though, it's pretty pointless when they continue to allow teams finishing 3rd in the CL group stages to go straight to the EL.  If UEFA think it's unfair for them to drop out of European competition then create a new competition for all the 3rd and 4th placed losers 

So a Champion's League Losers Cup?  Or the CLLC as it would become known.

It will certainly raise interest and competitiveness of the Europa League. Looks like a back door entry into the CL to me and i agree that those 3rd place losers should not enter the Europa again especially if the proposal goes through.

I agree with the comments about 3rd place parachute.  Either the cups are totally separate or they might as well scrap Europa League and have more teams in champions league.

I think I may be the only person in the universe who actually likes the idea of 8x3rd in CL group going into the Europa round of 32.  I believe it's an effective "promotion/relegation" system for use in Europe that keeps the teams close in stature (if that makes sense).