Champions League Revamp Includes Guaranteed Four Spots Each For Top Leagues

The Champions League is set to be transformed in '18 with "traditionally the four biggest leagues in Europe receiving four guaranteed spots each," according to Jack Rathborn of the London DAILY MIRROR. That means the Premier League, La Liga, Bundesliga and Serie A "will all be handed four places." Italian newspaper Gazzetta dello Sport reported that none of the four teams from each of the top four leagues will have to pass through the playoffs either, "instead automatically entering the group stage." The top three in each league will qualify, "while the fourth will be decided by a rolling points co-efficient." The French, Portuguese and Russian leagues "will receive two places each in the 'Super League,' while four or five more teams will come from the league winners in the next best ranked leagues -- Ukraine, Belgium, Netherlands, Turkey and Switzerland." It is the "latest move by European powerhouses to ensure they are involved in Europe's premier football competition" (DAILY MIRROR, 8/9).