UEFA will increase from 2024 the redistribution of revenue from its European competitions to clubs that do not participate, the body announced on Wednesday, at the dawn of its last season according to the current formula.
At the same time as the lucrative Champions League, the Europa League and the Conference League will switch in 2024-2027 to a mini-championship system replacing the current group stage, the distribution of their windfall – mainly from TV rights – will evolve, in the midst of a debate on sporting fairness in European football. According to the new agreement concluded on Wednesday between UEFA and the European Club Association (ECA), teams not qualified for European club competitions will share 7% of the cake over the period, i.e. 440 million euros per season and 1.32 billion euros over the entire cycle, against 4% currently, indicates the body in a press release.
The share granted to clubs eliminated during the qualification phase does not change, at 3%, while the allocations for clubs involved in the three competitions will also change, “with a greater focus on participation” (27, 5% will be distributed, against 25% currently), and “performance” (37.5% against 30% today).
The two specificities of the European system – namely the share of the country of origin of the club in the TV rights and the “coefficient” reflecting the historical performance of each formation – will they lose in importance, from 45% today to 35% in from next season, specifies UEFA, promising to reveal “the details of the new system later”. The agreement between UEFA and the ECA, which sets the framework for their co-management of competitions for each European cycle, comes in the midst of a debate on the concentration of financial resources and trophies by a handful of clubs, to the detriment of vast majority of continental formations.
The European body had promised last year to make “sporting equity” one of its main projects.