The UEFA has rejected the proposal from English clubs to increase the number of registered players in the Champions League to 28 for the next season, following strong opposition led by Spanish teams, according to The Guardian. Although the expansion of squads was one of the topics discussed at the UEFA Club Competitions Committee meeting last month, the proposal did not advance to the agenda of the next executive committee meeting, scheduled before the Europa League final on May 20 in Istanbul. Thus, the regulations for the next edition of the Champions League have already been approved by the competitions committee, maintaining the limit of 25 players per squad, a rule in place for nearly 20 years. However, the issue may be re-evaluated before the 2027/28 season, which marks the start of the next four-year cycle of UEFA's broadcasting rights. Several Premier League clubs advocated for the need for a larger squad to cope with the expansion of the competition format and to protect players from injuries and fatigue. However, the proposal did not gain consensus in the committee, facing strong resistance from Spanish representatives, namely Atlético de Madrid, Sevilla, and Real Sociedad. The main concern of the Spanish clubs is the fear that English teams will use their financial power to build even stronger squads, increasing competitive imbalance. There is also a perception in Europe that Premier League clubs already benefit from an advantage in the league stage due to the 'country protection' principle, which prevents them from facing each other, theoretically easing their path to the knockout stage. This season, all six English clubs reached the Round of 16, although only Arsenal and Liverpool made it to the quarter-finals. It is worth noting that with the introduction of the 36-team league phase last season, all clubs in the Champions League league phase play at least two more matches. Teams that do not finish in the top eight must also play a playoff in January, with two more matches, to secure qualification for the Round of 16. The issue of squad size had already been raised in January by Thomas Frank, former Spurs coach, who expressed his frustration at being forced to exclude Mathys Tel from the squad for the last league match against Eintracht Frankfurt due to Dominic Solanke's return from injury.
The Guardian Although the remains central to this story.
The Guardian Although the remains central to this story.
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