The winners of the FA Cup could qualify for the UEFA Champions League from 2024 under new rules – though only if the team has a high co-efficient ranking in Uefa competitions.
European football’s governing body are now working on plans to reform the Champions League, expanding the competition proper from 32 clubs to 36 clubs with two of those extra places originally intended to go to teams based on their ‘historical significance’.
In three of the last four years, those places would have gone to the two members of the Premier League’s so-called ‘big six’ that failed to qualify for the competition through their league ranking.
According to The Telegraph, the proposals have now been refined with the ‘legacy’ team needing to have either finished one place outside the Champions League spots or won their domestic cup – though this still mainly favours established, big clubs.
To use this season as an example, if Chelsea, Liverpool or Man City were to finish outside the top four but won the FA Cup, they would have a high enough co-efficient ranking to claim a Champions League berth.
But Crystal Palace, who have no co-efficient ranking having not competed in Europe recently, would not be given the Champions League berth if they won the FA Cup.
The European Club Association had hoped UEFA would ditch their plans to create a safety net for big teams should they fail to qualify for the Champions League under the current conditions, but they have only offered a compromise.
Had the rules been active last season, Tottenham and Arsenal – who only finished seventh and eighth respectively – would not have been in a position to benefit from the rule change. But Arsenal would have qualified in the 2019/20 campaign after winning the FA Cup.
Nor would Leicester City despite having checked two boxes – both winning the FA Cup and finishing one spot outside the Champions League places in fifth place – but their co-efficient ranking was too low.
Instead, Shakhtar Donetsk, who finished second in the Ukraine Premier League, and Lyon, who finished fourth in the French Ligue 1, would have been handed the two extra places due to their superior co-efficient.
The Premier League and FA are not believed to be delighted with the rule change – especially after the Super League debacle – but UEFA are very close to reaching an agreement with the ECA which will see the changes starr from the 2024/25 season onwards.
