ECL title holders: Enter CL qualifying or EL group stage?

[amenina]

Your club has just won the UEFA Europa Conference League, and are guaranteed a place EL group stage. They have also won the league title and qualified for CL qualifying Champions Path, either PR, Q1, Q2 or Q3, or finished second and qualified for CL-Q2 League Path.

According to EL regulations Article 3.11:
https://documents.uefa.com/r/Regulation ... ion-Online

If the UEFA Europa Conference League titleholder qualifies for the UEFA Champions League through its domestic championship, it has the right to choose between entering the UEFA Champions League or the UEFA Europa League group stage (see Paragraph 3.08). If it chooses to enter the UEFA Champions League, it vacates its position in the UEFA Europa League group stage. The vacancy created is filled in line with Paragraph 3.10.

So your club has a choice:
1. Either enter CL, chase the dream and money of CL group stage football, but risk having no group stage football at all (or just ECL group stage) if eliminated early in CL qualifying.
2. Or enter EL, forfeit the dream and money of CL group stage football, but gets the guaranteed place in EL group stage.

Which one would you choose

[Forza AZ]

I think most teams would choose CL-Q. Since when you are good enough to win the CoL, then you should also have a very good shot to qualify for CL-GS (or at least EL-GS) via CL-Q.

[amirbachar]

I can't see any chance that CL spot is refused, with about 30 coefficient points a team is seeded until CL Q3 at the very least anyway, and that in itself guarantees at least ECL GS, it's a no-brainer... It was just set-up this way so teams won't be able to complain, since it was their choice.

[nogomet]

Yes, I cannot imagine a team being quality enough to win the Conference League that would fear to take part of the champions path of the Champions League qualifiers, especially with the security blanket of EL and ECL qualifiers if they fail in CL qualifiers.

[Firnen]

Every team wants a shot for CL Groups.
The teams don't play for the Country Ranking. They play for themselves. All of them would prefer to risk it in the CL Qualifiers than go to EL.

[Lorric]

Every team wants a shot for CL Groups.
The teams don't play for the Country Ranking. They play for themselves. All of them would prefer to risk it in the CL Qualifiers than go to EL.

Even a Q2 league path team with no coefficient points other than what they gathered in the ECL I think would take it. Even if that ended up not being enough to be seeded in Q2, which could happen with this year's teams if Copenhagen come 2nd in Denmark, setting the seeding line at 29.000. If you won the ECL, surely you wouldn't fear a clash with either Copenhagen, Celtic or PSV. Win that and you get at least the prize you won.

[Lilywhite]

Yes, I cannot imagine a team being quality enough to win the Conference League that would fear to take part of the champions path of the Champions League qualifiers, especially with the security blanket of EL and ECL qualifiers if they fail in CL qualifiers.

The only scenario I could see would be if a club was going to ender the UCL League Path Q2, unseeded, against e.g. either Celtic or Olympiakos. Let's say Slavia Prague had won the Conference League in this scenario. They could go UCL, and have probably a 50/50 tie in Q2. Win, and it's still pretty unlikely (15%?) that they'll make it all the way to the group stage against bigger teams than they may have faced in their Conference League run. Lose, and they've suddenly got two ties - the latter playoff potentially being relatively tough - just to reach the UEL group stage. I'm sure they'd probably still pick the UCL route, just for the chance of making it, for the mentality of the squad and for the happiness of the fans. But turning it down would be a legitimate choice - I could see myself considering it on Football Manager if they manage to program this messy new qualifying permutation in!

[Lilywhite]

Another scenario. Maybe e.g. Rangers had won both the Scottish and Conference leagues last season. They'd start in UCL Q1 CH, and would be unseeded in Q3 and PO. They could take the UCL place with only an outside chance of making the GS and some chance they wouldn't make the UEL GS, especially if they got a tough tie early. Or they could take the guaranteed UEL GS spot, and also play in the ICC over summer for an extra ~£10m + commercial opportunities.

[kenzel]

I have a suggestion for 2021-2024 plans. UEFA may use title holder spots transferable, which can make Conference League more competitive.

1st option. Use CL-TH in the same way, but use EL-TH spot transferable. If EL winner already gets CL spot via league, transfer it to ECL-TH. Here, we still protect champion of 11th association's right no matter what.

2nd option. Use CL-TH and EL-TH spots both transferable. We have 2 title holder spots and 3 champions every year. Use it in order by cup level.

I posted this a couple of months ago. UEFA still makes changes on regulations (è.g. ECL-TH / 16th association). I think they should consider about this.

[dnina10]

I have a suggestion for 2021-2024 plans. UEFA may use title holder spots transferable, which can make Conference League more competitive.

1st option. Use CL-TH in the same way, but use EL-TH spot transferable. If EL winner already gets CL spot via league, transfer it to ECL-TH. Here, we still protect champion of 11th association's right no matter what.

2nd option. Use CL-TH and EL-TH spots both transferable. We have 2 title holder spots and 3 champions every year. Use it in order by cup level.

I posted this a couple of months ago. UEFA still makes changes on regulations (è.g. ECL-TH / 16th association). I think they should consider about this.

This I could get behind. The ECL TH should get priority over N3 of NA 5. This would make a lot more sense. They use to do the same thing with the CL TH spot. If that wasn't used, then the EL TH would get it, and if they already qualified, the next highest ranked CH not already in the GS would get the spot. This sounds like a much better idea to me. Question is, what would you do with the ECL TH if such a scenario does not occur?

[Forza AZ]

Another scenario. Maybe e.g. Rangers had won both the Scottish and Conference leagues last season. They'd start in UCL Q1 CH, and would be unseeded in Q3 and PO. They could take the UCL place with only an outside chance of making the GS and some chance they wouldn't make the UEL GS, especially if they got a tough tie early. Or they could take the guaranteed UEL GS spot, and also play in the ICC over summer for an extra ~£10m + commercial opportunities.

I think the fans and players still rather play in the CL-Q, even with the risk of not playing in a group stage at all.

[kenzel]

This I could get behind. The ECL TH should get priority over N3 of NA 5. This would make a lot more sense. They use to do the same thing with the CL TH spot. If that wasn't used, then the EL TH would get it, and if they already qualified, the next highest ranked CH not already in the GS would get the spot. This sounds like a much better idea to me. Question is, what would you do with the ECL TH if such a scenario does not occur?

I think the fans and players still rather play in the CL-Q, even with the risk of not playing in a group stage at all.

As far as I remember this sort of topic has been discussed in the forum. It was about Belgium's N2 and N3/CW spots. N2 started from League Path of CL-Q2 and did not guaranteed the group stages, while lower team N3/CW started from EL Group Stage. This still occurs for some CH-Q2nc path teams in 21/24 cycle. UEFA should have been balanced this. For me, I would like to see my club in CL even in the qualifying rounds.

[rpo.castro]

Another scenario. Maybe e.g. Rangers had won both the Scottish and Conference leagues last season. They'd start in UCL Q1 CH, and would be unseeded in Q3 and PO. They could take the UCL place with only an outside chance of making the GS and some chance they wouldn't make the UEL GS, especially if they got a tough tie early. Or they could take the guaranteed UEL GS spot, and also play in the ICC over summer for an extra ~£10m + commercial opportunities.

I think the fans and players still rather play in the CL-Q, even with the risk of not playing in a group stage at all.

The prize (not only monetary) is so high that you will always take a shot in CL instead of playing safe with EL.
And imagine what message would you send to both players and fans, if picking safe.

[babaluj1]

UEFA totally underestimates its own ECL , the winner should definitely have a place reserved in the CL. ECL is the most massive UEFA league and it is still joined by third-placed clubs from EL. It is not easy to win that league, it will certainly be much stronger than most national championships from which clubs get direct places in the CL.
The possibility for the ECL winner to choose a direct place in the EL instead of the CL qualifiers is zero. Funny!

[swisspower]

Since this is very likely for FC Basel, I'm very courious what they will chose

With their high seeding it probably would be smart to go for CL qualifying stage, but it could backfire spectacularely