Champions League: Europe's top four leagues to each get four group-stage spots
Last updated on .From the section Football
Europe's top four domestic leagues are to be guaranteed four places each in the group stages of the Champions League from the 2018-19 season.
The current top four according to European governing body Uefa's rankings are Spain, Germany, England and Italy.
Under the present system, England, Germany and Spain have three places each while their fourth-placed teams must win a play-off to qualify.
Italy has only two guaranteed places, plus one in the play-off round.
Uefa, which controls the Champions League, says the Europa League winners will also qualify for the Champions League group stage under the new system.
But it has stopped short of guaranteeing places for named clubs, such as AC Milan, Liverpool, Inter Milan and Manchester United.
They all missed out on this season's group stage after performing poorly in their respective leagues last season.
Uefa has also revealed the financial distribution to clubs will be "increased significantly" for the Champions League and Europa League.
It also said "historical success in the competition" will also be acknowledged to calculate where a league sits in its rankings.
Points will be awarded for previous European titles but weighted towards more recent success in the Champions League and Europa League.
Uefa has called the changes "an evolution not a revolution".
According to Uefa competitions director Giorgio Marchetti, the format for the Champions League will remain the same.
Following a qualifying stage, 32 teams will be drawn in eight groups of four for the right to be one of 16 sides to make it through to the knockout competition.
Analysis
BBC Radio 5 live sports news correspondent Richard Conway:
Europe's big clubs have lobbied Uefa for changes to the Champions League. They are conscious of a growing financial gap between themselves and English clubs following the Premier League's bumper £9bn television deal.
Uefa says it is evolving the competition by allowing the top four teams in Europe's top four leagues to gain automatic entry to the group stages.
In addition, there will be a significant increase in prize money as Uefa tries to ward off the threat of any breakaway Super League.
The timing of the announcement is significant. One of the frontrunners to be the next Uefa president, Slovenian Alexander Ceferin, has built support from many smaller nations that could well sweep him to power next month.
Those smaller associations are keen to curb what they see as the excesses of the bigger countries and clubs. But this move has pre-empted that and tilted the axis of Uefa's club competitions a little further in favour of the big beasts.
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That would be a pity.
A real kick in the teeth for sporting competition nonetheless. Welcome to the Superbowl era of football, where money reigns supreme.
There's a surprise
Rather than trying to keep the big teams, UEFA should let them go their own way and devote itself to meeting the needs of its member associations outside the 'Greed is Good' quartet.
Or maybe ALL other associations should resign from UEFA and set up their own rival European body.
Appalling decision again from UEFA though, they are supposed to represent all of European football not just the rich minority.
Man utd have not announced anything significant in the last 24 hours.
K then
Can't we guarantee England a place in the semis of all major tournaments whilst we're at it?
why should a team coming 4th place in a league be given the right to enter over a team who have won there league.
I felt there were so many positives recently, the top 8 ranked nations winners being in 1st pot was great (look at leicesters reward for winning the league).
this however is just another damaging decision for football driven by the power and greed of top clubs.
So how about UEFA sell a couple of wild card places to Chinese or Qatari clubs for megabucks?
Doesn't matter whether they're any good or not as long as they can pay.
I am joking, but then stranger things....