UEFA is planning a new Mini Champions League: FC Bayern could be there soon
Created: 06/16/2022, 09:42
By: Antonio Jose Riether
The existing three UEFA competitions could soon be followed by the next.
The association is planning a top-class summer tournament - but in the USA.
Nyon - Last season saw three parallel UEFA competitions for the European club teams for the first time.
In addition to the premium product Champions League and the equally appealing Europa League, the Conference League was held to give smaller clubs a big stage.
Now the European Football Association is apparently already making new plans, and there could soon be a summer tournament for the top teams.
UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) |
Founded: June 15, 1954 in Basel, Switzerland |
Headquarters: Nyon, Switzerland |
President: Aleksander Ceferin |
New UEFA competition: European top club tournament planned in USA
As the AP news agency and the French sports daily
L'Équipe
recently wrote, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is planning a kind of pre-season tournament.
According to the reports, however, the new competition will not take place in Europe, but in the USA.
The top European teams should also do PR there, probably also to make football even more tangible and popular with a view to the 2026 World Cup, which will also be held in the States.
At first glance, the tournament in the USA resembles the so-called “International Champions Cup”, which has been held annually in summer since 2013 until the start of the corona pandemic.
A series of high-class international friendlies was played in tournament form, mainly in US stadiums.
FC Bayern Munich also took part from 2016 to 2019, and Borussia Dortmund was also one of the clubs represented from 2016 to 2018.
UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin is already planning the next competition after the Conference League.
© ANP/imago-images
But the new tournament is intended to be more than a series of friendly matches, so UEFA is hoping for a real competitive character thanks to a strong line-up.
According to reports, the current plans are for a mini-tournament with only four teams.
New Final Four tournament?
FC Bayern would probably be one of the top candidates
There is still no clarity about the determination of the four teams that will play the new trophy in the USA.
One option would be selection by club coefficient.
If the tournament were to take place under these conditions, FC Bayern would certainly be there as the leader of the coefficient table.
Liverpool FC, Manchester City and reigning Champions League winners Real Madrid are currently in second to fourth place.
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An alternative plan sees the Champions League semi-finalists holding a Final Four tournament.
However, the Champions League winner should play along in any case.
In the first year of Corona, the Champions League tournament was held as a final four without a return leg in Lisbon, when Bayern won the pot against PSG.
As
The Times
writes, UEFA is considering establishing knockout mode and could conduct another test in the United States.
(ajr)
