Saudi Arabia is apparently planning a spectacular ‘wild card’ appeal to UEFA in order to field a team in the Champions League.
According to Corriere dello Sport, Saudi authorities want Pro League champions to be eligible for the Champions League beginning in the 2024-25 season. They intend to propose a wild card entrance, allowing the Saudi domestic league champions to compete in Europe’s premier club competition.
The Jeddah think tank would like UEFA to scrap the present competition structure and replace it with a single championship-style format with 36 clubs and eight matches for each team before the knockout stages. This would allow UEFA to increase the number of matches while also allowing the Saudi team to compete in Europe.
If UEFA accepts this idea, it might mean that Cristiano Ronaldo, Karim Benzema, and Neymar would be able to play in Europe again. Furthermore, this would surely raise the Saudi Pro League’s visibility and status on a global scale.
It will be difficult for the Saudi authorities to persuade UEFA of this, as it may necessitate a total structural reform of the league. It remains to be seen whether this plan will see the light of day.
