The UEFA Executive Committee has responded to the threat of a separatist European Superliga (ESL) by voting unanimously to sanction the new look of the Champions League with 36 teams.
In a vote on Monday in Montreux, Switzerland, the executive committee adopted a resolution to expand the Champions League from the current 32-team format with the redesigned tournament, set to begin at the start of the 2024-25 season.
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The change will cause each club to play 10 group games, rather than six, before advancing to a 16-team knockout system in the second half of the season.
Sources told ESPN that Paris Saint-Germain president Nasser Al-Khelaifi was among those who voted, with French champions not involved in the ESL plan.
UEFA has been pushed to make the Champions League more profitable for participating clubs, but with 12 of Europe’s top teams announcing on Sunday that they intend to form ESL, it is unclear whether the new tournament will involve those who will try to form their own separate competition.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is due to speak publicly about the Champions League changes and the threat of a separatist league on Monday at 14:30 CET.