The ‘Al-Khelaifi plan’ that would revolutionize the Champions League

The meetings of the UEFA Executive Committee these days in Vienna have left Closed issues such as the remodeling of the Champions League from 2024/2025 and others not yet closed like the opening match projected by one of its heavyweights, Nasser Al-Khelaifi.

The PSG boss sees a good business opportunity at the start of the competition, which does not have any special events unlike other major tournaments. “It’s an idea from Nasser, president of the ECA, and we think it’s very good. But you have to see how to do it and with how many teams,” Ceferin told this newspaper in an interview a few days ago.

Well, AP already slips a first idea that would have been valued among the members of the committee. It would be a 4-player tournament that would kick off the Champions League. Once it has been confirmed that the Final Four is on ‘stand by’ for the time being, Now the option of this Opening Four arises, which would bring together four of the teams in a kind of mini-tournament.

As AS has been able to find out, This new tournament could be a substitute for the European Super Cup and it would be played by the first four of the previous Champions League -or the first two of the Champions League and the first two of the Europa League-, in the style of the Spanish Super Cup by Rubiales. The goal would be to take the event to Asia or the US.

UEFA is aware that the market opportunities are great and that with the expansion of the Champions League new possibilities open up. There will be more games and more teams, which serves as a television and commercial boost. They do not want to touch the final phase of the tournament so as not to lose a semi-final round -and despite the fact that they really liked the experience of the Final 8 in Portugal a few years ago-. That is why the option of doing something at the beginning of the competition is thought about. Al-Khelaifi’s plan would reach its maximum with the implementation of this inaugural tournament at 4.