UEFA Unveils Plans for 3rd European Club Competition Starting in 2021-22
UEFA have revealed plans to introduce a third European club competition alongside the Champions League and Europa League from the 2021/22 season.
The proposed new tournament is "pending approval" according to the Juventus and the European Club Association chairman Andrea Agnelli, who has been speaking about bringing a new competition into Europe's club football calendar.
Speaking at the ECA Annual General Assembly, as quoted by The Mirror, he said: "Pending approval of the UEFA ExCo, the 'green light' has been given to introduce a third competition, bringing the overall number of clubs to 96, as of the 2021/22 season.
"A detailed assessment of the existing International Match Calendar is required prior to presenting a new model post-2024. The current model needs modernizing."
While the Champions League is set to remain unaltered, the Europa League is set to be modified as a result of the new competition, in order to spread the number of teams competing in each format.
As a result, sides from so-called smaller nations will participate in the new tournament as a way of elevating the level of competition in the Europa League, and will be shown primarily on online platforms.
There hasn't been a third European club competition since the Intertoto Cup, which was disbanded in 2008, with previous winners including Hamburg, Schalke and Villarreal.
