What Is the New European Super League and How Will It Work?

Here’s everything we know so far.

World football is on the verge of changing forever as 12 of Europe’s top football clubs have agreed to launch the European Super League.

The new Super League, which is set to rival the UEFA Champions League, has attracted nuclear levels of heat from fans and football pundits around the world, being seen as a potential death blow to the world of football as we know it.

Here’s everything we know so far about the new Super League.

So, what is the European Super League?

The Super League is going to be established as a 20-team competition that will take on the Champions League.

Two groups of 10 teams will play in a group stage of home and away games before the top three in each group automatically qualify for the quarter-finals.

Teams that finish in fourth and fifth will compete in a playoff game of two legs to claim the remaining quarter-final slot.

From there, it will be a standard two-leg knockout format, culminating in a final.

The league is likely to begin in 2022 and run from August through to May the following year.

Which teams are involved?

In England, the big six clubs—Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham—have all joined the league. From Spain: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid and Barcelona. On top of that, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus are joining from Italy. 

These teams are now known as the Founding Clubs and will be exempt from relegation from the Super League. Rumoured to be joining the Founding Clubs are Germany’s Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund, as well as France’s Paris Saint-Germain.

The final five slots will be filled by clubs who qualify for the league based on their domestic performance in the previous season.

Leading European football clubs announce new Super League competition.

— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 18, 2021

Why have they created the Super League?

This is where the controversy is coming from.

Real Madrid President Florentino Perez (what a name) has been named the first chairman of the Super League and said in his first announcement that this new league is all in the name of improving global football.

“We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world,” he said.

“Football is the only global sport in the world with more than four billion fans and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”

Others aren’t buying this statement, with many believing that the Founding Clubs decision was driven by the lure of their equal share in €3.5 billion ($AUD5.4 billion) just for signing up. 

🚨OFFICIAL🚨 Match Ball for the inaugural 2021-22 season of the Super League. pic.twitter.com/l7hrk3XCAL

— . (@parkernaldo) April 19, 2021

How has the rest of the world reacted?

Not well.

Former Manchester United player Gary Neville didn't hold back, labelling the new league an “absolute disgrace”, and demanding that we need to “wrestle back the power in this country from the clubs at the top of this league."

"I'm a Manchester United fan... but I'm disgusted."

Former Man Utd footballer Gary Neville condemned the teams involved in plans for a European super league breakaway, including Manchester United and Liverpool FC.

Read more: https://t.co/0EBHIqRMwS pic.twitter.com/ZGCa4wQ9Yy

— Sky News (@SkyNews) April 18, 2021

Elsewhere, the governing body of the Champions League, UEFA, threatened that if these Founding Clubs follow through with this move, there would be serious consequences.

“The clubs concerned will be banned from playing in any other competition at domestic, European or world level, and their players could be denied the opportunity to represent their national teams,” UEFA forcefully said in a statement.

Here’s just a snapshot of Twitter’s reaction.

Super League burns because after one of the hardest seasons ever, when we were all told it was about community and entertaining those who needed an outlet, a bunch of boring suited men have turned around and gone "No it's about money."

— Carl Anka (@Ankaman616) April 19, 2021

The greed is, sadly, not surprising. More remarkable is these 12 clubs really think they can 'win the argument', with fans, govts. They truly believe this is 'better for the game'. I can't think of a more universal condemnation of a football proposal. Even Var has its supporters

— Sam Wallace (@SamWallaceTel) April 18, 2021

Klopp in 2019: “I hope this Super League will never happen. With the way the CL is now running, football has a great product, even with the Europa League.
"For me, the Champions League is the Super League, in which you do not always end up playing against the same teams.

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) April 18, 2021

It’s very early days for the European Super League, with announcements due to come soon.

Will the new Super League cave in to public pressure or will they power through and fill their pockets? Watch this space.

Header Image: Soccrates Images / Contributor