UEFA denies negotiations with Super League promoter over new Champions League format

UEFA has denied claims that it is in talks with A22 Sports Management, the promoter behind the failed European Super League, following reports that both parties were negotiating a new format for the Champions League.

An A22 spokesperson had told AFP that discussions were ongoing with UEFA to create a revised version of the competition, describing it as an agreement that would “provide a free broadcasting platform” and introduce “minor changes” to the current structure.

According to A22, the proposed version would retain the existing 36-team lineup of the Champions League but split them into two groups of 18, with top-performing clubs advancing to a round of 32 — a significant shift from the original semi-closed Super League plan that caused major controversy in 2021.

Responding to the report, UEFA admitted that its General Secretary, Theodore Theodoridis, had held “public meetings” with A22 co-founder Anas Laghrari, but said those meetings “produced no official results.”

“There are no plans to change the UEFA Champions League format,” UEFA stated, reiterating that the new competition structure introduced for the 2024–25 season remains in effect.

The discussion comes as Barcelona president Joan Laporta, a key supporter of the Super League, recently called for “an agreement with UEFA” to “bring peace” to European football.

Meanwhile, Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who also heads the European Football Clubs (EFC, formerly the European Club Association), welcomed Laporta’s conciliatory tone during the EFC meeting in Rome.

However, Al-Khelaifi dismissed the notion that the Super League still poses a threat, saying, “It was already dead before. We don’t need other competitions; we already have the best competitions.”