Premier League statement confirms Champions League boost for Newcastle United, Man Utd, Liverpool & Co.

As Newcastle United prepare to return to the Champions League for the first time in over 20 years, it will be the final time the competition will be played in a 32-team group stage format. UEFA have previously announced that the Champions League will consist of 36 teams instead of 32 in a ‘Swiss league’ format from the 2024-25 season onwards.

This means the eight groups of four teams will be scrapped in favour of a giant 36 team league limited to just eight games against differently seeded opposition.

One of the four extra places will be filled by the third placed team from the nation ranked fifth in UEFA’s coefficient, which is currently France, heading straight into the group stages.

Another place will be through the ‘champions path’ qualifying route, guaranteeing another league champion in the group stage.

The final two places, will be given to counties whose clubs collectively performed the best in Europe in the previous season and will be awarded on league position. This means, should English clubs perform well in Europe, fifth place in the Premier League could earn a Champions League spot.

English clubs have been the top performing in Europe based on country coefficient rankings in five of the last six seasons.

This will be a boost to many Premier League sides, including Newcastle United, who will be hoping to qualify for the Champions League for the second season running.

And now the Premier League have acknowledged that finishing fifth in the table this coming season could result in Champions League qualification.

A Premier League statement read: “We will likely only know when that fifth spot will come into play for the UCL towards the end of the season, when the geographical spread of the participating clubs in the latter stages of UEFA competitions is known.”

In previous seasons, finishing fifth in the Premier League would secure Europa League qualification. The Champions League qualification change could see the automatic Europa League spot drop to sixth place.

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