European Super League New Format: How Many Teams Will Participate in the Men's and Women's Leagues?
After the court’s ruling in favour of the European Super League, the organisers revamped its format and now propose 64 clubs-three leagues for men, and 32 clubs- two leagues for women’s soccer.
All the chaos and arguments around the inaugural European Super League is settled after nearly a two-year long row finally gets a verdict from the European Court of Justice (ECJ). after winning the battle the European Super League is looking to get things moving quickly as a fresh proposal for the men's European Super League (ESL) has been unveiled. As per the new structure men’s competition will involve 64 teams across Europe. Participation is based on sporting merit, and more importantly, there are no permanent members in the league, meaning every team has to perform at their best to remain in the European Super League Competition. Additionally, the competition will have the Star League, the Gold League (both with 16 clubs each), and the Blue League (comprising 32 clubs). Sports development company A22, which is working behind the scenes on the European Super League (ESL) project – this model is developed to foster a competitive and dynamic football landscape across Europe. European Court of Justice Rules FIFA and UEFA Acted Unlawfully in Blocking The Super League.
European Super League format for Promotions and Championship
The proposed plan is to bolster even a smaller club in Europe to European glory. A22 Sports released a statement regarding the same, "participating clubs stay in their domestic leagues which remain the foundation of European football. Now that clubs can determine their own future at European level, we look forward to further engagement with a broad set of football stakeholders to achieve the objective of all great sporting competitions."
There will be an annual promotion and relegation between the three leagues proposed by ESL. However, promotion to the third-tier Blue League is contingent on domestic league performance. Clubs will engage in home and away matches organised in groups of eight, ensuring a minimum of 14 matches per year. At the season's end, a knockout stage will determine champions for each league and club to be promoted.
Similar rules will be applicable for the Women’s tournament, although looking at the number of European clubs, the women's competition will have two leagues of 16 clubs each. The proposal assures no increase in match calendar days beyond existing competitions, and mid-week matches will not disrupt domestic league calendars. In the inaugural year, clubs will be selected based on transparent performance criteria.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 22, 2023 11:38 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).