THE European Super League is set to be RELAUNCHED with a whole new format as organisers battle for it to rival the Champions League once again.
Unlike the first and widely criticised Super League concept, which saw the 12 breakaway rebels – including the Prem Big Six – guaranteed entry, all positions will be earned by domestic performances in the previous campaign.
The Unify League would consist of 96 teams from across Europe taking part each year.
Qualification would be similar to the Champions League, Europa League and Europa Conference League.
There would be four leagues – Star League, Gold League, Blue League and Union League.
The top two divisions, Star and Gold, would each have 16 teams in them, split into two groups of eight.
The groups of eight would play each other home and away, a total of 14 matches per club each season.
The bottom two divisions, Blue and Union, would have 32 teams each, split into four groups of eight -they would also play each other home and away.
In the Star and Gold leagues, the top four of each group would play a two-legged quarter-final.
In the Blue and Union, it would be the top two teams from each group making up the quarter-finals.
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The winners of those matches would then progress to a “final four” week of one-off matches to provide the champions of the four different leagues. Those games would be played on a neutral ground.
The Premier League would have three guaranteed entrants in the Star League – and two English teams would go into the Gold League.
Up to five further slots for Prem teams would be spread across the remaining pair.
No formal start date has been set, SunSport understands that there is a provisional target of competition launch in September 2026.
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The Unify League would need to pass FOUR Uefa tests
The Unify League would need to pass four tests — administrative and financial, sporting and technical, ethical, and sporting merit — to be approved.
Having sporting merit approved would mean securing the agreement of European Leagues and the European Club Association (ECA), both of which have been strongly opposed to the concept.
A22 said it has been involved in consultation with clubs across Europe, including in the Premier League, and that teams would qualify via their domestic competitions.
Uefa say the Unify League won’t replace Champions League
Uefa insiders insist there is almost no chance of the Unify League replacing the Champions League, which was this season revamped with a 36-team, single-league format replacing the old group stage.
According to The Times, one senior figure described the latest plan as “bulls***” and a “Christmas pantomime”.
How many English teams will take part?
The Premier League would have three guaranteed entrants in the Star League.
Two English teams would go into the Gold League.
Up to five further slots for Prem teams would be spread across the remaining pair.
How does the Unify League work and who plays in it?
The proposed competition would see 96 teams from across Europe taking part each year.
All positions will be earned by performances in domestic competitions the previous campaign – just as it currently is with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
The top two leagues would be called the Star League and the Gold League, with 16 teams in both divisions, divided into two groups of eight.
The third and fourth divisions would be named the Blue League and Union League.
In the final eight, made up of two teams from each of the four groups in the top two leagues, would consist of two-legged quarter finals, followed by one-legged semi finals at a neutral venue in the same week as the final.
It is reported that there would then be 14 group stage fixtures, with the winners playing 18 games in total.
The Blue and Union Leagues would work in the same way.
Premier League silent on European Super League relaunch
Unlike three years ago, when the so-called Big Six, agreed to join the ESL before backing out almost immediately after backlash, this time no Prem club has offered a comment on the relaunch.
Only Real Madrid and Barcelona are thought to have confirmed their entry if Uefa accept A22’s proposal.
We’ll be keeping our eyes and ears open…
Click here for everything you need to know about the Unify League.
How will A22 Sports Management Company fund the Unify League?
In terms of how A22 intends to fund the Unify League, its big idea remains the creation of a global streaming platform, called Unify.
The service would offer fans the chance to watch these games for free, with adverts, or without adverts for a fee.
Many industry experts question whether this is economically feasible, although UK-based sports streamer DAZN and Fifa have just announced that this is the business model they are trying for next summer’s Club World Cup.
Coincidence?
Manchester United fans protested against the idea of a European Super League in 2021 Why many believe the new Unify League will be accepted
Madrid-based A22 Sports believes that the governing bodies will have no choice but to grant it permission to try to establish this league.
It comes after last December’s landmark ruling by the European Court of Justice ruled that the response by Uefa and Fifa to the original European Super League proposal in 2021 breached European Union law.
A22 believe neither body can impose any preemptive punishments on clubs interested in the idea.
Its 2021 plan of creating a 20-team league, with 15 permanent members has been erased.
And replaced with a four-league format of 64 clubs.
A22 is confident its new proposal addresses the biggest criticism it received in 2021 from fans across Europe, but particularly in the UK.
Fans fumed over the 2021 plans radical departure from decades of tradition, where European football is something clubs earn via their performances in domestic leagues.
It also believes that many clubs are unhappy with the so-called Swiss model that Uefa has introduced to all three of its club competitions this season and they want complete control.
How will the top two leagues (Star and Gold) work?
Back to basics of the Unify League (as per promoters A22)
Fans mock Unify League’s marketing
One supporter wrote on X: “The Unify League is arguably the worst named product I’ve ever seen.
“You went back to the drawing board after you was shut down by fans and clubs and came up with this??”
A second said: “This has got to be the worst name 😂😂😂.”
A third chimed in: “Regardless of thoughts about the tournament, whoever came up with the re-branding should be fired.
“Never going to take a league called the unify league seriously. Sounds worse than Carabao Cup 🤣🤣.”
Another added: “It remains a very stupid idea purely driven by greed.”
How will each group work?
Rankings and number of teams per domestic league are best on a European competition co-efficient.
Swiss Football Data Football lovers say Unify League is a ‘waste of time’
One fan wrote on X: “Massive waste of everyone’s time. As useless as the new World Club Cup. Stop trying to please faceless clubs.”
A second added: “How do people expect all these games to be played seriously??”
While another said: “Good riddance to the Super League. European clubs are just jealous of the money in the Premier League.”
A fourth fumed: “When in the current 11 month calendar is this debacle going to be played?
“It’s not worth the paper the proposal is printed on.”
One more wrote: “Are traditional rivalries now ready for prime time bonding events?”
A22: “Disputes are counterproductive”
A detailed letter from A22, promoters of the Unify League, to Uefa General Secretary Theodore Theodoridis, asks to “move forward collaboratively”.
Critics of the new format remain, with one club calling the relaunch “a Perez pantomime”.
What clubs have agreed to be in European Super League?
Spanish titans Real Madrid and Barcelona have committed themselves to the European Super League.
And they are the driving force behind A22 – the group behind the controversial league.
Madrid President Florentino Perez rubber-stamped his clubs backing of the competition.
Here’s what’s different this time:
- Open Access: No automatic spots for big clubs. All 96 teams must qualify annually.
- Four-Tier Format: The top two tiers, “Star League” and “Gold League,” each have 16 teams in two groups of 8. Teams play 14 group matches, with the top 8 advancing to the knockout stages.
- Streaming-First Approach: Matches will stream on a “Unified” app. Fans can watch for free (with ads) or pay for an ad-free experience – similar to Spotify’s model.
- Legal Backing: Organisers @A22Sports, linked to Real Madrid’s president, believe Uefa is legally obliged to permit the competition after a December 2023 EU court ruling.
Will the Unify League be accepted by Uefa?
The European Super League company and A22 will now seek permission from Uefa to move forward with plans.
They anticipate that the plans will be PASSED THROUGH.
This is thanks to the December 2023 ruling from the European Courts that stated that Uefa went against EU law with their attempts to stop a breakaway tournament.
The original Super League vs this new idea: The difference
Following a huge backlash, A22 Sports, the Madrid-based company behind the original idea in 2021, was made to drop the initial project.
It initially involved a 20-team league with 15 permanent members including Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United, Chelsea, Manchester City and Tottenham.
Now, following 12 months of consultation, they are proposing a four-league format – divisions known as Star, Gold, Blue and Union.
96 clubs who would qualify via performance in their domestic league.
There would be 16 teams in the top two tiers and 32 each in the other two.
Will the Unify League get off the ground?
SunSport’s Martin Lipton assesses whether the Unify League will actually happen…
The biggest complaint about the original European Super League was it was a closed shop.
But the Unify League proposal would see teams qualify on merit, just as they do for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
But whether people accept it is another matter.
Many people will still think this is just another version of the same old thing, the rich wanting to get richer.
Maybe that’s right, but I can see the appeal for the clubs here – one of which will be a prize fund much bigger than what is currently offered for competing in Europe.
I think there’s a genuine chance that this could be the first thing that brings down the UEFA dominance of club competitions.
But there’s a lot of obstacles in the way.
It’s proposed that it could start in September 2026.
I don’t believe it can be as quick as 18 months, but money talks.
We are into uncharted territory.
This is very different from April 2021 when the whole thing crashed and burned so quickly.
This could be real.
This could happen and if it did, would change the face of football
What’s the format of the relaunched European Super League?
There would be FOUR leagues: Star League, Gold League, Blue League and Union League.
The top two divisions, Star and Gold, would each have 16 teams in them, split into two groups of eight.
The groups of eight would play each other home and away, a total of 14 matches per club each season.
The bottom two divisions, Blue and Union, would have 32 teams each, split into four groups of eight.
They would also play each other home and away.
In the Star and Gold leagues, the top four of each group would play a two-legged quarter-final.
In the Blue and Union, it would be the top two teams from each group making up the quarter-finals.
The winners of those matches would then progress to a “final four” week of one off matches to provide the champions of the four different leagues.
Those games would be played on a neutral ground.
Who will play in the Unify League?
The proposed competition would see 96 teams from across Europe taking part each year.
All positions will be earned by performances in domestic competitions the previous campaign – just as it currently is with the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
What is the Unify League in basic terms?
22 Sports have rebranded the European Super League and called it the ‘Unify League’.
This new format will have an annual qualification and there will be FOUR groups.
They have redesigned the proposal to address the criticisms of its predecessor.
Teams will play between September – April, alongside domestic football competitions and leagues.
Fans slam “toxic” Real Madrid owner
One raging footie lover wrote on X: “Florentino Perez is a mad man. He’s a cancer on modern day football.”
A second said: “Y’all just creating a whole lot of nonsense for fun at this point.”
A third added: “At this point you have to question Real Madrid’s influence in all of this. Why is the owner so toxic?”
A fourth fumed: “Just f*** off. I thought we were done with this s***!”
What is A22 Sports Management?
The Madrid-based company was specifically created in September 2022 with the aim of pushing through legislation for the European Super League in the aftermath of the failed attempt in 2021.
The firm was created in tandem by Euro powerhouses Barcelona, Real Madrid and Juventus who were the loudest proponents of the breakaway league.
Juventus left the project after they were threatened with expulsion from the Champions League, although are still believed to be supportive of it.
New ESL will be free to watch
According to A22, the new European Super League would be free for fans to watch.
It will be streamed on new platform called “Unify”.
Unify is the proposal for a state-of-the-art digital streaming platform.
A22 Sports’ official website wrote: “We will democratise football by allowing fans everywhere to watch new European Super League games for free.“
A22 Sports also suggest subscription tiers would also be offered for those who prefer to view matches with minimal advertising while enjoying advanced features such as favourite camera angles, live match data and other interactive options.
They add: “Distribution partnerships with broadcasters, streaming services, clubs and content providers will also be an important component of the Unify experience to ensure ease of access for fans.”
If accepted by Uefa and Fifa, when will the Unify League launch?
While no formal start date has been set, Sun Sport understands that there is a provisional target of competition launch in September 2026.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
