As Manchester United and Tottenham get closer to securing an all-English final, Arsene Wenger has asked for a significant modification to the Europa League’s rules. With three games left, both teams are now in 15th and 16th place in the Premier League after disappointing domestic campaigns.
However, collecting the trophy would provide Ange Postecoglou and Ruben Amorim a backdoor entry into the 2025–2026 Champions League, giving them one last chance at redemption through Europe’s secondary league. Up to seven English teams may qualify for the Champions League next season, as England has already secured a fifth position thanks to impressive UEFA performances, which have been reinforced by Chelsea and Arsenal’s ongoing participation.
Wenger, the renowned former manager of the Gunners who is now FIFA’s Chief of Global Football Development, has expressed disapproval of this arrangement and suggested that the regulations be changed to forbid such an easy route to Europe’s top league in subsequent seasons.
Arsene Wenger Proposes Eliminating a Significant Europa League Regulation
According to the Frenchman, winning shouldn’t equate to getting into the Champions League.
Wenger formed his thoughts during a Sunday night broadcast on beIN SPORTS, expressing the notion that the winners of the Europa League shouldn’t be granted entry into the Champions League the following season. Watch the video below at around 2:00 to hear what he said:
“Rather than necessarily making it to the Champions League, they ought to automatically qualify for the Europa League once more. particularly in a league with five qualifying teams.
However, he acknowledged that in order to keep Europe competitive, UEFA probably sees the need to preserve a big incentive at the end of the secondary campaign. Apart from Wenger’s argument, some contend that the prestige of winning the tournament has already been eroded by the Champions League’s new format, which no longer places top teams that didn’t advance in the Europa League.
Similar to how Ajax, Barcelona, and Juventus had done the previous season, teams like AC Milan and Feyenoord reinforced the Europa League last season after placing third in their Champions League groups. The possibility of two poor English teams sleepwalking to the May 21 final, however, makes the route to the trophy appear simpler under the new arrangement.
As the Premier League solidifies its position as Europe’s top division, Bodo/Glimt and Athletic Bilbao will be left wondering what might have been as Tottenham and Manchester United both scored three goals in the first leg of their respective semi-finals last week. It is unlikely that either team will give up their sizable leads in the second leg this Thursday.
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