UEFA are reportedly considering a major overhaul to the format of the Champions League that could see games played outside of Europe for the first time.
The governing body's executive committee have gathered for a meeting ahead of the general assembly of the European Club Association this week. The ECA represents teams who compete in European competition, with the group also meeting with UEFA to explore ways to grow the game and revenue.
The Champions League is already preparing to undergo a radical change from 2024, when the current group stage format will be ditched and more games added to the schedule. But it appears that chiefs at the leading European clubs are hoping to go even further.
According to The Athletic, one proposal that is said to be 'favoured' by the most powerful executives is for Champions League games to be taken out of Europe. They hope to make 'meaningful' matches more accessible to leading teams' global fans.
The president of Paris Saint-Germain Nasser Al-Khelaifi is said to be a supporter of that plan. That could be crucial, with the Qatari also the current chairman of the ECA and a member of UEFA's executive committee.
Countries such as the United States, China and in the Middle East have been floated as possible hosts. There would be huge opposition from fan groups to games being moved out of the continent, though the proposal remains merely an idea rather than an agreed policy.
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The executives are initially eyeing sending group games out of Europe, rather than knockout games. With intense opposition expected, moving the UEFA Super Cup out of Europe has also been floated as an option.
While it is claimed that the executives see no problem with debating fresh ideas, it is unlikely to provide much comfort for nervous fans. A potential case for moving matches abroad was made when the ECA released a report on the nature of fandom in football, finding 34 per cent of football fans in China and 28 per cent in the US were influenced by a major competition or event to start following the sport.
“This highlights that there are opportunities for European clubs and competitions to build on this interest and influence; to increase the availability of European club football to these audiences and allow exposure to these events to continue building further and deeper interest and engagement," the report said.
This season's edition of the Champions League will return in just over two weeks, with the entire group stage to be completed before this winter's World Cup. UEFA and the ECA agreed last May to radically overhaul the format of the competition from 2024.
Instead of the current set-up of 32 teams being divided into eight groups of four, there will instead be a single group of 36 clubs. Those competing will play four more games than in the current format, with teams facing 10 different teams, half at home and half away.
