Whilst Arsenal, Tottenham and Chelsea are looking to signal their intent early on in 2022/23 for Champions League qualification, some significant changes are being touted which could change the face of the competition forever.
All three London clubs will be hoping to be Champions League regulars in the near future, with Antonio Conte, Mikel Arteta and Graham Potter keen to impress at the top table of Europe. The west Londoners and the white side of north London are the two representatives from the capital in this year's competition.
Tottenham have started off their group stage indifferently with a home win over Marseille followed by defeat away to Sporting Lisbon. Meanwhile, Thomas Tuchel was sacked after the first group game as the Blues lost to Dinamo Zagreb, with Graham Potter in charge for the 1-1 draw against RB Salzburg in week 2 as the two times Champions sit rock bottom of Group E heading into a double-header against AC Milan.
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Under the latest suggestions, we could see some group games being played outside Europe, with some in UEFA seemingly keen to exploit the fan culture and revenue opportunities that exist in other parts of the world.
This is according to The Athletic, who have reported that the issue of debate will be brought up in the UEFA Committee's latest meeting which is set to be held later this week on the Croatian island of Hvar. The European Clubs Association (ECA) are also set to discuss these potential changes in Istanbul.
It is understood that there is some major opposition to these potential changes being touted around. Parts of The Athletic's article reads: "One option favoured by some of the most powerful club executives in European football involves taking Champions League games outside of the continent to make meaningful games more accessible to the clubs’ global fanbases.
"The Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi, who also chairs the ECA and is a member of UEFA’s executive committee, is among those supportive of such discussions, with leading club executives open to fixtures taking place in major markets such as the US, China or the Middle East.
"It remains only an idea rather than policy, and any moves to take the competition abroad would likely be met with opposition from fans in Europe. However, sources close to the discussions said initial steps would surround early group games rather than high-stakes knockout matches."
At this stage, these changes aren't likely to come around anytime soon but it is understood that the UEFA Super Cup could be another target whereby games could be played outside of Europe and on different continents.
That would be the winner of the Champions League vs the winner of the Europa League potentially facing off in a country outside of Europe. This, in essence, would make European competitions start to have the FIFA Club World Cup feel to them.
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