UEFA Announce a Third competition is to be introduced

“Pending approval of the UEFA executive committee, the ‘green light’ has been given to introduce a third competition, bringing the overall number of clubs to 96, as of the 2021-22 season,” Agnelli said.

Agnelli is also president of Juventus and sits on the UEFA executive committee, occupying one of two seats allocated to club representatives. UEFA were not immediately available for comment.

Europe currently has two club competitions — the Champions League, which features 32 teams in the group stage, and the second-tier Europa League, which has 48.

Europe used to have a third competition for winners of domestic cup competitions, known as the Cup Winners’ Cup, but it was abolished in 1999. Domestic cup winners now enter the Europa League.

Agnelli was due to hold a news conference following the meeting later on Tuesday.

The ECA has previously called for more clubs to be involved in European competitions and a “greater certainty of matches” for participating clubs.

Agnelli also repeated his call from last year for a drastic overhaul of the international match calendar, which is drawn up by global soccer body FIFA and allocates dates for national team games.

“A detailed assessment of the existing International Match Calendar is required prior to presenting a new model post-2024. The current model needs modernising,” he said.

(Writing by Brian Homewood; Editing by Christian Radnedge)