On Monday, UEFA decided to expand the three major leagues – the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League – to 36 participating teams. The UEFA Champions League now has 32 participants and operates on a schedule of four teams.

In the new setting there is no longer a group stage. All teams play ten matches against ten different opponents. Whoever plays and whether it is at home or away is determined by a draw. This will add a hundred matches, giving clubs the opportunity to win a lot of money.

The other two European Cup tournaments, the Europa League and the Conference League, can be based on a large group of 36 participants. Teams in the European League play eight matches in the first stage after a draw. The teams from the League Conference, which will play for the first time next season, only six. The top eight teams qualify for the eighth finals. Numbers 9 to 24 compete for eight more places in the knockout stage.

Group matches in the UEFA Champions League are scheduled from September to January. One of the initiators of this new group is Edwin van der Sar, Director of Ajax.

Premier League

The new setting cannot prevent twelve major clubs, including Barcelona and Liverpool, from announcing their league, the Premier League. With new competition midweek, clubs can earn a lot more money than they do in the Champions League.

Uefa and Fifa threaten that participants in the Premier League can no longer participate in the national competition or the national team. If these threats come true, international players such as Frenkie de Jong and Matthijs de Ligt will not be able to participate in the matches of the Orange team.