SUMMARY
- The European Super League will feature an updated framework organized into three categories – the Star League, the Gold League (each with 16 clubs), and the Blue League (with 32 clubs).
- The new ESL plan specifies that only European-based soccer clubs are eligible to participate.
A new plan for the men’s European Super League (ESL) has been revealed, offering an updated framework designed to promote a competitive and exciting football environment throughout Europe. The league is organized into three categories on a pan-European pyramid. This comes as a huge upset for famous soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo.
The Star League, the Gold League (each with 16 clubs), and the Blue League (which has 32 clubs). There are no permanent members in the league; participation is determined solely by sporting merit. However, this means Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr FC will not be eligible to participate in the European Super League as it is only for European-based soccer clubs as per GOAL.
The European Super League announce their new competition formats with a proposal to stream every game for free 💥 pic.twitter.com/ZksrUZoc3g
— B/R Football (@brfootball) December 21, 2023
Clubs will play home and away games in eight-person groups, guaranteeing at least 14 games annually. A knockout stage at the end of the season will select the winners of each league and the clubs who will advance. The plan guarantees that there won’t be any additional match calendar days beyond those of current competitions, and midweek games won’t interfere with domestic league schedules.
This comes as a major blow to the Saudi-based team Al-Nassr FC, Al-Hilal FC, and many more as soccer stars like Cristiano Ronaldo, Neymar Jr. Rueben Neves, and Sadio Mane won’t be able to feature in this competition. It remains to be seen how this story further develops in the next days/months regarding the ESL.
Cristiano Ronaldo and Al-Nassr FC are expected to get a UEFA Champions League invitation
Al-Nassr, led by Cristiano Ronaldo, is supposedly going to get an invitation to compete in the UEFA Champions League in 2024–25. Since the Champions League’s establishment thirty years ago, only clubs affiliated with UEFA have participated. Given the club’s popularity in Europe, it is now planned to invite Al-Nassr, a Saudi Pro League team, to participate in the event next year.
UEFA currently intends to invite the Saudi Arabian club for the 2024–25 season in an attempt to capitalize on the popularity of Cristiano Ronaldo. According to Alharbi: “The European Union intends to extend an invitation to Al Nassr to participate in the 2024 UEFA Champions League, being one of the three most famous clubs in football and because Al Nassr has great and great popularity on the European continent.”
خبر :
الاتحاد الأوروبي ينوي تقديم دعوة إلى نادي النصر السعودي للمُشاركة في بطولة دوري أبطال أوروبا 2024م “كونه أحد أشهر ثلاث أندية في كُرة القدم” ولما يملكه النصر من شعبية عظيمة وكبيرة في القارة الأوروبية . pic.twitter.com/XaxOX6sa6K
— علي الحربي (@alharbi_44) November 12, 2023
That’s largely because of Cristiano Ronaldo, who signed with the team in December 2022 as a free agent. Ronaldo is the all-time leading scorer in the Champions League with 140 goals. Having had a fantastic start to the season, 38-year-old Ronaldo—who is among the greatest players to have ever played the beautiful game—continues to mature like a fine wine.
It remains to be seen whether UEFA in actuality sent an invitation to the Saudi-Pro-League side or whether the reports are a bluff. However, with the increasing popularity due to the presence of the soccer legend Ronaldo, it may be a growing possibility that Al-Nassr will feature in the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League.