Champions League final in New York? UEFA's reported 36-team model could bring changes

The UEFA Champions League revamp project, which is underway, faced severe backlash from Europe's top leagues due to the Champions League fixtures congestion. As per the revamp project, it is speculated that the UEFA Champions League final could be held in New York. There has also been a proposal to scrap off the Champions League's existing format and instead use the "Swiss model."

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UEFA Champions League news

The latest news from UEFA is that they want to change the structure of the UCL from 32 teams to 36. As a result of this model, the previous model of eight groups of four teams will be scrapped. Instead, UEFA will adopt a 36-team "Swiss model" league.

In this format, each club will play 10 games: five at home and five away. The matches will be based on seedings and all 36 teams will be ranked. The top eight will advance to a 16-team knockout round while the next 16 teams will go into another play-off round to decide the final eight spots.

Although the top European leagues welcomed some of the proposals, they raised serious concerns about some others. They were worried about the extra match days that will result from this proposal. "The European Leagues have raised strong concerns about more matchdays in such a flexible system in an already very congested calendar," said the organisation in a statement.

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UEFA Champions League Final New York

Another proposal made in the revamp project was to hold the UEFA Champions League final outside Europe. This idea was proposed by President Aleksander Ceferin in 2016 when he suggested that the final could be held in New York. He said, "I think it might be an idea in the future but we have to speak about it. To go from Portugal to Azerbaijan, for example, is almost the same as if you go to New York. For the fans it’s no problem."

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Where is Champions League Final 2021?

The UEFA Champions League is currently in the Round of 16 stages where the first leg has been played. Defending champions Bayern Munich will be looking to defend their crown while the likes of Manchester City will be looking for their first Champions League title. The 2021 Champions League final will be held at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul on 29 May 2021.

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Image Credits: UEFA, Statue of Liberty/Ellis Island/Instagram