Why Premier League club can qualify for UCL without a top four place this season

The competition will see a huge change in its format this season and there are Premier League clubs that could benefit

With the Premier League season back underway, those towards the top half of the table will be valiantly fighting for their place in the coveted 'top four' in order to secure qualification to the Champions League - European football's most prestigious club competition.

It's been a staple in English football for what now feels like forever - finish in the top four and you get your chance on the biggest stage for the biggest trophy. Of course, there have been exceptions over the years - Liverpool winning the competition in 2005 meant the Premier League were given five teams in the competition, while La Liga was the first league to ever have five clubs make the group stage in 2016.

And after Manchester City lifted the UCL for the first time in their club's history last season, an English club go into the competition as holders for the second time in the past three years.

However, that is all about to change - possibly. Clubs in England might now only need to finish in the top five in order to qualify for the comeptition, something which'll no doubt be a huge benefit to teams like Chelsea and Tottenham who are on the rise from last season's 12th and eighth-placed finishes respectively.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin is adamant that the decision to reformat the competition is the right one, and that it will "still keep alive the dream of any team in Europe".

"Our model is based on sporting merit," Ceferin said when the model was announced back in 2021. "Where we come from, merit has no price. Merit can't be claimed, and merit can't be acquired.

"It can only be earned. Season by season. On and off the pitch.