According to the Times, UEFA is considering shortening the qualification matches of the Champions League and UEFA Cup next season. The worst case scenario is to cancel the qualification matches directly.
Picture from: UEFA official website
UEFA has postponed the start date of the Champions League season 2020/21 to October 20, but it is still unknown whether the qualification match can be held on time.
The plan of UEFA is to finish the Champions League and Europa League this season. It is expected that the European game will be restarted after the end of national leagues, that is, before the end of August.
Considering this time node and the regulations of the governments of France, the Netherlands and other countries that football matches cannot be held before September, the time left for the European qualification match next season is quite limited, and there is also a rest period between seasons.
The newspaper said that the emergency working group set up by UEFA in response to the epidemic was considering a variety of options, such as changing the two round system to a single game system and playing in a neutral venue, or holding a single round system of Champions League play offs, which would be attended by the league champions of the 12 countries with the highest ranking who did not directly qualify for the group matches.
Of the 32 teams in the Champions League, only 6 teams entered through the qualification match. If the second scheme is adopted, Celtic will lock one of the 12 play off places, while other teams that lost the place in the group match due to restructuring may receive financial compensation.
However, the situation of the Europa League is much more complicated. Only 17 of the 48 teams in the group stage are directly promoted from national leagues, and the rest of the ways include national cup competitions.
It is reported that the Executive Committee of UEFA is expected to make a decision in a teleconference on May 27.
