Liverpool will be stripped of next season's Champions League for the first time since 2016-17.
Manchester United's 4-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday night cemented their place in the top four and ensured that Liverpool will play in the Europa League next season.
Jurgen Klopp's side are now firmly in fifth place in the Premier League, a huge disappointment as they won an unprecedented treble last season.
The six-time European champion will now have to adapt to Thursday night football and all the complications that come with it.
Advertisement
A fifth-place finish could be devastating for clubs in English football's top tier, given the steep drop in prize money in the Europa League and difficulties attracting top players. But in the coming seasons, fifth place could be enough to guarantee Premier League teams a spot in the Champions League.
Indeed, the format is set for a major overhaul at the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
The controversial changes would see the Champions League drop from 32 clubs to 36, with the traditional group stage scrapped.
Instead, each of the 36 qualifying clubs will play eight games, including four at home and four away.
Teams that finish from first to eighth in the new tournament stage will automatically qualify for the 16-team final stage. Meanwhile, teams from ninth to 24th will play a two-man play-off to determine the other eight clubs entering the round of 16.
Since then, the knockout round has remained unchanged from the current format.
UEFA rule change could benefit Premier League teams
In addition to the changes to the Champions League format, changes have also been made to the way clubs qualify for the new tournament.
Additional slots will be allocated to the two most successful European nations in the previous season, using the UEFA coefficient, while another slot is allocated to the fifth-placed country in the UEFA rankings.
If applied to the current season, England and Italy would be awarded an extra Champions League spot thanks to their clubs' strong performances in Europe this season. Those additional spots will then be allocated by position in the league, meaning that a fifth-place finish in the Premier League - as Liverpool did - will qualify for the Champions League.
Unfortunately for the Reds, those additional qualifying spots will only be awarded based on next season's coefficient rankings during the start of the 2024-25 campaign.
blogpay
Total Comments: 0