Liverpool could end up in next season’s Champions League even if they fail to finish in the top four of the Premier League in 2023/24.
The Reds narrowly missed out on Europe’s elite competition last term, despite a late rally to push their way past Newcastle United. However, there could be a reprieve should Liverpool endure another below-par campaign.
The Champions League format is changing from 2024/25, which will see the number of teams involved jump from 32 to 36 and therefore ensures four extra spaces are up for grabs. So how will those additional teams be decided and what does it mean for Jurgen Klopp’s side?
Two of these spots will go to teams from countries whose clubs collectively perform the best in UEFA competitions in the previous season. Therefore, if a Premier League side experiences success in the Champions League, Europa League or Conference League this season, it will result in the team who finishes fifth this term earning Champions League football for 2024/25.
Had this rule come into effect for the current campaign, the Reds’ fifth-placed finish in May would have seen them back in the Champions League due to Manchester City winning the Champions League and West Ham United lifting the Conference League. The other team who have benefitted is Atalanta, who came fifth in Serie A, after Inter Milan reached the Champions League final while AS Roma and Fiorentina reached the last stage of the Europa League and Conference League respectively.
Liverpool could, of course, earn Champions League football by winning the Europa League but could benefit from this new law change should they end up outside the top four and fail to claim the final trophy missing from Klopp’s cabinet since taking charge of the club in October 2015.
There is also the potential for as many as seven Premier League clubs to be in the Champions League next season due to the change in rules. For this to occur, it requires the unlikely scenario of the Champions League and Europa League winners both being from the Premier League and finishing outside the top five in the Premier League.
The 2024/25 ‘Swiss Model’ will see the end of the Champions League’s traditional group stage, with all 36 teams instead being put into one league table. Each of the qualifying sides will contest in eight games, equally split home and away, and those that finish between first and eighth will automatically quality for the round of 16. The knockout stage will follow the current system. Sides that finish between ninth and 24th will contest a two-legged play-off, resulting in the eight victors also progressing to the last 16.
An increase in competitors will also have a profound impact on the already-bloated football calendar. Indeed, there will now be a total of 189 Champions League matches from 2024/25, compared to the existing total of 125.
