Skip to main content

Will the Expanded UEFA Super Cup be Held in 2024?

Image
By

 


The plan for holding the newly formatted UEFA Super Cup in 2024 is still not yet official.

UEFA had a scenario of changing the current UEFA Super Cup format from one-off games to the final four tournaments in 2022. However, the plan does not seem to be rolling out as expected yet. The European football governing body has yet to confirm it until today, unless a sudden announcement is anticipated in the near future. The 2024 Super Cup will be held at the National Stadium in Warsaw, Poland.

The Expanded Format

UEFA has been studying the possibility of expanding the Super Cup, originally a match between the champions of the top two tiers in continental competition. The current one has been considered rather outdated, with a single game between the winners of the Champions League and Europa League. Such a format has become gradually less and less popular. On the other hand, the final four format is getting more and more recognisable to gain more revenue with more teams involved and more games to play.

The final four could be seen as a more ideal format for the future Super Cups. The probable four teams involved might consist of the winners of all UEFA competitions, the Champions League, the Europa League, and the UEFA Conference League, plus probably the UCL runners-up. The plan on expanding the Super Cup starting in 2024 would presumably attract a larger audience, especially family and female fans, with the inclusion of the pop stars showcase before the game and during half time.

However, the idea of contesting it in the USA and involving the MLS Champions as one of the contestants is regarded as a controversial scheme, especially among the fans. The plan to expand the market to other continents may have been inspired by the Super Coppa Italiana, the Spanish Super Cup, and most recently the French Super Cup, which have been held in Asia and the Middle East.

La Liga, for example, has used the final four format to replace the one-off super cup since the 2019–20 season. The participants are no longer the La Liga and Copa Del Rey winners but also the runners-up from both competitions or the best club sitting in the top four. Such a format has been used by UEFA too for the final round of the UEFA Nations League.  

The decision for such a new format might still be under discussion. Despite the fact that no official announcement has been made, it is bound to happen in the near future since Sky has reportedly been named as the official rights holder for the 2004–2007 tournament cycle.

Previous Changes

The UEFA Super Cup itself has gone through several alterations since its first edition in 1973. It was initially created and proposed by Dutch football journalist Anton Witkamp back in 1972. Yet, it took a year for UEFA to finally give their support for the competition. From 1973 to 1997, it was meant to be a home-and-away game between UCL and Cup Winners Cup Champions. Then in 1998, UEFA has opted to switch the venue to a neutral one, Stade Louis II in Monaco, as well as make it a single game instead of double fixtures. Since 2000, UEFA Cup/Europa League winners have replaced the Cup winners Cup one as the latter has been abolished.

In 2013, another change was made. The venue used for staging the match is no longer the same but moves annually all across the continent. The first one was Eden Arena in Prague. The last one in 2023 was supposed to be held at Ak Bars Arena in Kazan, Russia. Yet, due to the Russian football suspension following the country’s ongoing invasion of Ukraine, the venue was switched to Olympiakos home base, Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus, Greece.

Since 2010, UCL winners have demonstrated their domination in lifting the trophy compared to their Europa League counterparts. The continental top tier champions have won each year except in 2010, 2012, and 2018. Atletico Madrid, surprisingly snatched the title in those years. They are the only side which managed to meddle in the dominance of UEFA Champions League winners in the past decade. What's more, no English managers have lifted this trophy up to this day. 


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

1981 U20 World Cup – The Stage for The Underdogs

By
  The 1981 U20 World Cup, held in Australia, became a showcase for underdog teams that had not been expected to shine. The 1981 edition of the junior world cup was perhaps the first time that surprises dominated the tournament — including the eventual champions, West Germany. Although they came from the UEFA zone and had a strong winning tradition, especially at senior level, they were not actually supposed to qualify for the finals. Their story mirrored Denmark’s success at Euro 1992. Even more astonishing was the emergence of an Asian team that made it to the final for the first time in the history of the U20 championship. Facts and Figures from the 1981 U20 World Cup The third edition of the U20 World Cup featured several unique stories, no less intriguing than other editions. Here are some highlights from the first FIFA competition to be staged in Oceania: * The tournament took place from 3 to 18 October with 16 teams divided into four groups. * A total of 32 matches...
Post a Comment
Read more

1979 U20 World Cup, The Coronation of Maradona

By
  The 1979 U20 World Cup became the most talked-about edition for one reason: the official emergence of Diego Armando Maradona. After being snubbed by Cesar Luis Menotti for the seniorteam in the 1978 FIFA World Cup in his own home soil because he was considered too young , Maradona was finally given his stage by Menotti. The World Cup winning manager named him the captain and tasked to lead the team to glory. He accomplished the mission perfectly. El Diego played a major role throughout the tournament, leading the Tango team to their first title and being awarded Best Player—similar to the 1986 World Cup. The 1979 U20 World Cup Fact and Figures The second edition of the U20 World Cup had a number of interesting facts compared to other editions. Here are some highlights of the first junior world cup held in Asia: * The competition was held from August 26 to September 7 with 16 participants divided into four groups. * A total of 32 matches were played throughout the tourna...
Post a Comment
Read more

1977 FIFA U-20 World Cup: A Modest Beginning for a Global Stage

By
  The inaugural edition of the FIFA U-20 World Cup finally kicked off in 1977, marking the birth of a new global tournament with the fewest matches ever recorded in its history. Ahead of 2025 FIFA U20 World Cup in Chile, which begins at the end of September. There is no better time than today to reflect on the origins of the competition. Known back then as the World Youth Championship, the tournament was established for players under the age of 20 and was the brainchild of Irish FIFA vice president Harry Cavan . A passionate advocate for football development beyond its traditional heartlands, Cavan envisioned a tournament that would give emerging football nations—particularly across Asia and Africa—a genuine platform on the world stage. That vision came to life in Tunisia, the host of the very first edition. Situated in North Africa and part of the Arab world, Tunisia symbolised FIFA's desire to spread the beautiful game beyond Europe and South America. 1977 U-20 World Cup...
Post a Comment
Read more