Much to decide. The UEFA Executive Committee this Wednesday comes busy and with many issues to resolve, with the finalization of the Champions and Europa League being the star issues. The first of the two days of meetings of the European organization should serve to mark the roadmap for the conclusion of this season, something that will allow at the same time to lay the foundations for the next course, both at club and national team level.
On the day's agenda, the resolution of the competitive format on the two European tournaments stands out once the eighth matches that are still pending have been completed. Although it is not confirmed, the Executive must give the green light to both competitions to decide a single match from the quarterfinals, as could happen with the women's Champions League.
Change of venue
Istanbul (Turkey) and Gdansk (Poland) were the previous venues for the Champions League and Europa League finals, respectively, and despite the fact that there has been no official resignation, everything indicates that they will change location. Lisbon's Estadio da Luz is seen as the venue chosen to host the final of the European Cup, while that of its little sister is between four German cities -Colonia, Düsseldorf, Duisburg and Gelsenkirchen are candidates-, provided the situation sanitary permit. The possibility of an audience is not ruled out, although today it seems difficult to make a prediction about it.
Once the format has been decided, there remains the problem of the knockout knockout stages, four in the Champions League and ten in the Europa League. In the first, it is only fair that, like the other qualifying rounds, the second leg matches are played in the planned stadiums. Thus, Barça would play at the Camp Nou, while Real Madrid must do so at the City of Manchester. The trouble comes in the second of these competitions and the two first-leg matches that remain to be played, a Getafe-Inter and a Sevilla-Roma. UEFA wants everyone to compete on equal terms, but it is not ruled out that these qualifiers can be played in a single match.
The dates to start the final phase of the longest Champions League in history could be scheduled for August 11 and 12, leaving the semifinals for 19 and the final for day 23.
Women, Youth League and Eurocup, hot topics
Other relevant topics will also be discussed at today's summit, such as establishing a schedule for the Champions League and Europa League qualifying phase, as well as the playoffs that should take the teams to the group stage. All dates for the Women's Champions League, as well as the UEFA Youth League, must be confirmed on this first day of meetings of the two scheduled.
At the national team level, the venues of the next Eurocup, transferred to 2021 and that could lose a host on the way, will be discussed, and the schedule of the matches will be defined. The remaining qualifying matches will need to be rescheduled, as will those in the group stage of the Nations League.
The European Under-21 Championship, the Under-19 Championship and the Women's Under-17 Under-19 Championship will also be discussed today, at which point the futsal competitions will be updated. Tomorrow we will discuss the draw procedure for the qualification phase for the 2022 World Cup, the Club Licensing and Financial Fair Play Regulations.