Saudi Arabia wants a Champions League spot in a revamped Champions League, reports Corriere dello Sport.
The Saudi officials have reportedly approached UEFA for a wild card spot for the winner of the Saudi Pro League. The plan is to have entry to the finest European tournament starting from the 2024-25 campaign when the new format takes place.
As a reminder, the Champions League changes its format starting from the next campaign. Here it is in a nutshell.
A single 36-team league will replace eight groups. Each team will play eight different teams whether home or away. Eight best teams will qualify for the Round of 16 directly, teams finishing 9-24 will play a two-legged playoff. The rest will get eliminated without dropping off to the Europa League.
If approved, one of Saudi top teams and its stars would once again shine in Europe. Think about Cristiano Ronaldo adding to his CL tally with Al Nassr or Neymar having another crack at the trophy.
Or just imagine F.C. Copenhagen spending a Wednesday night in Jeddah or Riyadh.
Geographically, Saudi Arabia is located in Asia, but, for example, Israel is also entirely in Asia yet teams from the local league play in the Champions League.
Teams from Kazakhstan, Turkey or Azerbaijan also regularly play in the Champions League even though the majority of the landmass of those countries is in Asia.
