UEFA denies possibility of reducing Champions League qualifiers
UEFA has denied that it is preparing to reduce the amount of qualifiers for the 2020/2021 UEFA Champions League.
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Normally, two-legged ties are held in all four stages of qualifying for the group phase of the Champions League, but UEFA is reportedly lining up a new format for the 2020/2021 campaign as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. According to a report published by The Times, a single match on neutral territory will decide the outcome of all qualifying ties, and it’s even possible that UEFA will decide to reduce the amount of rounds or scrap the qualifiers altogether.
Gazzetta also reported that UEFA might only stage the playoff qualification round for the Champions League. If that happened, the champions of the 12 highest ranked countries without a team directly in the group stage would compete in the qualification playoffs, while all other clubs which would have been involved in the qualifiers receive monetary compensation from UEFA.
Only six of the 32 participating clubs in the Champions League group stage will progress from the qualifiers.
The matter will be discussed in more detail at a video conference of the UEFA Executive Committee on May 27.
However, in an official statement, UEFA denied the allegations:
“UEFA has never considered the possibility of denying champions of their respective leagues their right to try and qualify for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League. At this moment in time, UEFA is following the situation and any potential change to the format of the qualification process for club competitions next season.
“As of today, there are no concrete options for the format of qualifying for European club competitions.”
Originally, the Champions League qualifiers were supposed to begin in the summer, but the COVID-19 crisis has prevented that from happening. UEFA is hoping to complete its 2019/2020 competitions during August.
The 2020/2021 Champions League group stage is due to begin on October 20.
Naturally, any potential format change would Greek clubs, with the Super League champions and runners-up set to enter the Champions League in the third and second stages of qualifying respectively. At the moment, Olympiacos boast a large 14-point advantage in first position of the championship, but second-placed PAOK are only one point ahead of AEK.
