On Monday, 12 of Europe's top-tier football clubs declared their plan to start a new, independent competition called the European Super League. The founding members—which include giants like Real Madrid, Barcelona, Juventus, and several Premier League teams—have all signed on. To facilitate the launch, these clubs will be granted a one-time injection of €3.5 billion. The leadership of the new venture will be headed by Florentino Perez, the president of Real Madrid.
The organizers intend to expand the league to 20 teams in total, meaning three more clubs will be invited to join the founders before the inaugural season begins. The competition will follow a traditional regular-season structure.
UEFA has strongly opposed the move, stating on Sunday that the project serves only the narrow interests of a few clubs. They went as far as to threaten the participating players with bans from international duty, though the clubs themselves maintain that the league is a positive step.
Joel Glazer, who serves as both the co-chairman of Manchester United and vice-chairman of the Super League, stated that this new competition would open a fresh chapter for the sport by ensuring the world's best teams and players face off regularly. He emphasized that the league would provide superior facilities, world-class competition, and a significant boost in financial backing for football.
Should the Super League actually secure the projected €3.5 billion in revenue, it would surpass the combined earnings of UEFA's three major competitions. For comparison, the Champions League, Europa League, and European Super Cup brought in €3.2 billion during the 2018-2019 campaign.
While the founding members will enjoy automatic qualification every year, the other positions will be filled based on performance in the previous season. The schedule is set to begin in August, with the season concluding in May through a series of play-offs, with matches scheduled for midweek.