Unify League: A New Proposal for European Club Football
A22 Sports Management has presented UEFA and FIFA with a proposal for a new European club competition called the Unify League. This initiative comes three years after the unsuccessful European Super League project. Let’s examine the key aspects of this proposed format.
Structure of the Unify League
The Unify League proposes a three-tier system for men’s football, comprising four divisions:
- Top tier: Gold League and Star League (16 teams each)
- Second tier: Blue League (32 teams)
- Third tier: Union League (32 teams)
Qualification Process
Star League: 12 direct qualifiers, 2 recent league winners, 2 play-off qualifiers
Gold League: 8 direct qualifiers, 7 play-off qualifiers, 1 Blue League winner
Blue League: 14 direct qualifiers, 17 play-off qualifiers, 1 Union League winner
Union League: Over 100 teams from 55 European nations compete in play-offs for 32 spots
Competition Format
Each division will have 32 teams divided into four groups of eight. Teams will play each other in a round-robin format from September to April. The top two teams from each group advance to the quarter-finals, with knockout rounds running from April to May.
The Star and Gold Leagues, while part of the same division, are separated to ensure competitive matches throughout the season.
This new proposal aims to revitalize European club competitions and provide a fresh alternative to the current UEFA Champions League format.