CL extended to 64 teams?
- Thread starter HangTime
- Start date
Professional football has always been about the money.
Would be awesome if it became straight knockout (2 legs) again although I can't see that happening from a financial perspective. As a former work colleague of mine used to say about the European Cup "If you get Real Madrid in the first round - hard luck" 
Soldato
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I must be the only one who misses the second group stage then?
Sure it was more games but more games is good isn't it?
To much of a good thing ?
This
Soldato
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CL is already far too bloated, crap idea
Personally, I kind of agree.
I'd take the winners of the European leagues and the runners up in a straight knock out competition over two legs, Home and Away tie, then the final is a one off game at a European stadium.
The UEFA Cup should be for the next group of teams and can have a mini League and knock out much like the Champions League now.
Also, they all need renaming
Personally, I kind of agree.
I'd take the winners of the European leagues and the runners up in a straight knock out competition over two legs, Home and Away tie, then the final is a one off game at a European stadium.
The UEFA Cup should be for the next group of teams and can have a mini League and knock out much like the Champions League now.
Also, they all need renaming
That makes no sense though. You want a format(s) that guarantees the best teams a certain number of games. That's where the revenue is. That's what people, on the whole want. They show they want it by watching the games on TV. People moan about the league format and how it's not the "champions" then viewing figures rise year on year.
A format where it's possible that Real Madrid, Barca, Man U, Bayern, The Milans, Juve etc all could get knocked out in the first round wouldn't be worth anywhere near as much to sponsor.
That's what the success of CL has shown. I don't think anyone could really argue that expanding it to 64 teams would reduce viewing figures and sponsorship money. The stats just don't bear that out. I don't believe one person who's posted that they thought it is a bad idea would watch it less if it was expanded. They might say say they would, but it reality, they wouldn't. And if they did, other people would watch more.
As is, I watch 2 CL games during a European week usually. I'd happily watch 3. I rarely watch Europa games though (unless I have vested interest) until the semis. The Europa is generally rubbish until the teams in it start to believe they might win it. Before that, their ambivalence to being knocked out is shown by the state of the teamsheets. Even last 16 games are often reserve team football. It's worthless. I can name 5 or 6 sponsors of the CL. I couldn't name you one sponsor of the Europa. Not one.
thats what it used to be when it was the European Cup untill they chnaged it in the early 90's.
1955–1991: Knockout format, one club per country (the league champion) plus the defending champion.
Then there was also the UEFA cup winners Cup which featured teams from each league in Europe that had won a domestic cup e.g FA Cup or Milk Cup (think thats the league cup now). That ended in 1999 and was replace with the Europa League which is another pile of horse crap.
NO...........
it makes perfect sense, the best of the best play each other in a straight knock out tourney, he who survives to the end is the best of the best. It worked for over 50 years before they dicked aroudn with the format in the early 90's
Soldato
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Once it gets rid of the Europa League i am all for it, that competition is a waste of space and time, and the money u get is nothing compared to CL, Would be much better 64 team CL imo.
Expanding it as a single competition to 64 teams seems very strange to me and surely the watered down product will loose a lot of it's appeal the sheer number of mediocre clubs qualifying would mean half the arly games would be championship standard or below and I'm really not sure who would pay to watch them or televise them.
All this really demonstrates is tht outside of elite competiton there is no place for a european league as while their is plenty of interest in watching the big clubs take each other on there is no interest in watching lesser clubs battle for smaller prizes. A single teir European league of top clubs is almost inevitable but there will be no second division as nobody is interested!
All this really demonstrates is tht outside of elite competiton there is no place for a european league as while their is plenty of interest in watching the big clubs take each other on there is no interest in watching lesser clubs battle for smaller prizes. A single teir European league of top clubs is almost inevitable but there will be no second division as nobody is interested!
No money in this at all.
let's face it the top teams in smaller nations can be crud.
Lichtenstein, Luxemburg etc.
Or would you just take the top 16 teams from the 16 best nations anyway the Champions League is purely a TV sport I don't know why people even go and watch the league games.
Either change it to knockout or re-jig it to a proper league that starts in Sept through to May.
Europa cup is a mickey mouse cup because someone who comes in 7th in some countries can enter and it involves the losers from the champions league hence the "Losers cup" monicker.
Associate
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Has anyone who dropped out of the Champions League gone on to win the Europa League?
No different to a team that finishes say 4th the season before, winning the Champions League?
Athletico the 1st season the current format was introduced (twas only '09 though) I believe
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Did you even read his explanation? The current format ensures much higher viewing figures. That's better for sponsors, and for the teams receiving broadcasting revenues.
Reverting back to the knock out format could see all the teams people actually want to watch knocked out after 2 games. Great for a purist maybe, but terrible for the majority of viewers.
If you want high viewing figures/revenue etc then just have the 2 or 3 biggest supported teams in each country enter a european competition. Would be just as valid as the current money grabbing format. Afterall it stopped being about football when they rebranded to the 'Champions' League.