FA Cup winners could be given a Champions League spot - but only for 'big' clubs

But there is a catch; The Cup winners will only get a spot if they have a historic record of success in past UEFA tournaments. The controversial plans will benefit the big leagues in Europe. It would essentially offer a safety net for historical giants in Spain, England and Italy that finish outside the Champions League places in their domestic leagues. The new rules will not be of any help for teams belonging to low or mid-ranked Leagues.

The number of teams in the Champions League will increase to 36 under the new rules. The two extra spots will be awarded based on a formula used by UEFA known as co-efficient, which is used to measure the historic success and rankings of the clubs. The clubs will only get the extra spot if they have won the domestic club or finished one place outside the Champions League position.

The decision has raised questions about the sporting integrity of the UEFA as they will favor well established European teams to qualify for the Champions League while not being of much help to small cups.

To better understand the new rules:

Teams like Sunderland, Watford and Bologna would not qualify for the Champions League even if they win in their domestic leagues. However, strong teams like Juventus, Chelsea and Liverpool will get one of the extra places. Provided they win the domestic title and finish just one place outside the top four owing to their strong co-efficient ranking.

After a presentation to the European Club Association by UEFA in late April, it is reported that the new rules are very close to being approved.

The Champions League will switch from its current 32 teams eight-group system to a 36-team single league table in the first round from 2024. At least 100 more matches will be added to the tournament per season with each club playing ten group stage matches.

David Moyes : Unfair and Bias 

Manager of West Ham, David Moyes, believes that the new rules will be unfair and all teams should receive equal treatment. He thinks the rules will only benefit the top 6 teams in the FA Cup. He said, “Maybe if I was at a top-six regular, would I want that? I don’t think most people see that as the correct format to go. It should be on merit.”