What is the European Super League and how would it work?

April 21, 2021 by World Economic Forum Leave a Comment

This article is brought to you thanks to the collaboration of The European Sting with the World Economic Forum.

Author: Kate Whiting, Senior Writer, Formative Content

News that 12 top-flight European soccer teams are planning a breakaway Super League is dominating global headlines.
It’s also sparked reactions from the game’s governing bodies and fans.
Here’s what you need to know about the European Super League.

On 18 April, 12 of Europe’s top soccer clubs announced they were launching a breakaway Super League. Here are five key questions answered.

1. What is the ESL?

The European Super League is effectively an alternative to the Union for European Football Associations (UEFA) Champions League, which would guarantee places in the competition to the founding clubs, rather than requiring qualification through their domestic leagues.

It is being financed by US investment bank JP Morgan, which is providing a $4.2 billion grant for the teams to spend on infrastructure and recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.

2. Which teams are involved in the Super League?

There are six from the English Premier League: Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Three more hail from Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid. And the final three come from Italy: Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan.

3. How would the breakaway Super League work?

In a statement, the Super League said it plans to launch “as soon as practicable” and add three more teams as founder members to bring the total to 15.

A 20-team midweek league would run, with five teams qualifying each season “based on their achievements in the prior seasons”.

The format of the competition would be two groups of 10 playing home- and away fixtures with the top three in each group qualifying for the quarter-finals. A play-off involving fourth and fifth placed teams would complete the final eight.

There are also plans to launch a women’s Super League competition after the men’s league is up and running, Reuters reports.

4. Why are they doing it?

Juventus President Andrea Agnelli, Vice-Chairman of the new league, said the move would secure the long-term future of the game, following the economic fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most clubs have been hit hard by the lack of spectators over the past year, and many have sizeable debts, reports the BBC.

The Founding Chairman of the Super League, Real Madrid President Florentino Perez, said: “We will help football at every level and take it to its rightful place in the world. Football is the only global sport in the world with more than 4 billion fans, and our responsibility as big clubs is to respond to their desires.”

Aggregate revenues in European top divisions. — Operating revenues for European clubs fell sharply during the pandemic. Image: KPMG

5. What has the reaction been?

UEFA held an emergency meeting about the Super League on Monday and said players and clubs could be banned from UEFA competitions – including three of this season’s Champions League semi-finalists.

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson has objected to the plans and the UK government is looking at options to penalize the six English teams that have signed up.

In January, the world’s soccer governing body, FIFA, warned that any breakaway league would not be recognized by them, warning players involved could be banned from taking part in the World Cup.

The Super League letter urged FIFA and UEFA to agree to talks, Reuters reports, and said they wanted the breakaway league to exist alongside current European club competitions.

Guaranteed spots go against long-standing tradition in European soccer, but the founding clubs argue it will create a more sustainable financial model.

“The formation of the Super League comes at a time when the global pandemic has accelerated the instability in the existing European football economic model,” they said.

But even fans of the clubs involved have condemned the move, while British broadcaster BT Sport – which airs the Champions League – said the Super League could have a “damaging effect [on] the long-term health of football in this country”.

Discover more from The European Sting - Critical News & Insights on European Politics, Economy, Foreign Affairs, Business & Technology - europeansting.com

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

WFP Children in Fangak county, Jonglei State eat a cooked meal of sorghum. WFP provides food rations to food insecure families containing sorghum, oil, salt, peas and maize (January 2022).

South Sudan: ‘All the conditions for a human catastrophe are present’

February 2, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Military tensions in South Sudan are “rapidly expanding” between Government forces and opposition militia as fighting continues in restive Jonglei state. Briefing journalists based at UN Headquarters in New York on Friday, Anita Kiki Gbeho, Officer in Charge of the UN Mission in South Sudan (UNMISS), said […]

© UNICEF/Oleksii Fili Children's toys are covered in snow outside a residential building in Kyiv during prolonged winter power and heating outages.

World News in Brief: Syria ceasefire welcomed, ‘Olympic truce’, Ukraine’s freezing children

January 31, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria has welcomed a ceasefire agreement between the Syrian Government and the mainly-Kurdish Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), urging all parties to seize the moment to protect civilians and prevent further violations in the country’s northeast. “We welcome efforts to bring stability […]

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Frank Shao is a Tanzanian medical student. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect IFMSA’s view on the topic, nor The European Sting’s one.

Access to Healthcare: is it too much to ask?

January 30, 2026

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by Mr. Khalil Al Bilani is a 5th-year medical student at Saint George’s University of Beirut. He is affiliated with the International Federation of Medical Students Associations (IFMSA), cordial partner of The Sting. The opinions expressed in this piece belong strictly to the writer and do not necessarily reflect […]

UN Photo/Manuel Elías Ramiz Alakbarov (on screen), Deputy Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in the Middle East.

Potential turning point for Gaza as peace plan enters second phase: UN envoy

January 29, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The start of a second phase of a stabilisation plan for Gaza offers a potential turning point for the war-ravaged enclave, a senior UN official told the Security Council on Wednesday. Ramiz Alakbarov warned that risks of violence escalating again remain high, while the situation in the […]

Gaza ceasefire improves aid access, but children still face deadly conditions

January 28, 2026

The fragile ceasefire in the Gaza Strip is making a difference to the lives of over a million children, and improving overall access to food – but more aid still needs to enter. That’s the assessment of two senior officials from the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) and the World Food Programme (WFP), speaking on Monday to journalists in New York following a […]

A new blow for UNRWA as headquarters in East Jerusalem ‘set on fire’

January 27, 2026

© UNRWA Destruction at UNRWA headquarters in East Jerusalem after Israeli authorities sent in bulldozers on 20 January. This article is published in association with United Nations. The head of embattled UN relief agency for Palestinians, UNRWA, has condemned reports that its headquarters in East Jerusalem have been set alight deliberately. It comes after Israeli authorities […]

© UNHCR/Yevheniia Kozun This cinema in Saltivka, Kharkiv, was hit during an earlier strike (file Jan 2026).

‘Cycle of attacks must end’: Lead UN official in Ukraine

January 26, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The senior UN official in Ukraine, Matthias Schmale, has issued a condemnation of the massive overnight Russian drone and missile strike on several major Ukrainian cities, killing and injuring civilians, and knocking out energy infrastructure amid sub-zero temperatures. The attacks on some of Ukraine’s most important population […]

WHO/P. Virot The flag of the UN World Health Organization (WHO) flies at its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland.

US withdrawal from WHO ‘risks global safety’, agency says in detailed rebuttal

January 25, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The World Health Organization (WHO) has issued a detailed statement regretting the United States decision to leave the UN agency, and declaring that it will leave both the US and the world less safe as a result. The statement, released on Saturday, also includes a rebuttal of […]

© UNOCHA/Ximena Borrazas Kateryna and her two children warm up at a heating point and use rhe available electricity to charge their devices.

Keeping people warm amid hostilities and harsh winter weather in Ukraine

January 24, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As people in war-torn Ukraine face the coldest winter in more than a decade, authorities and humanitarians are working to help them stay warm, particularly the most vulnerable residents. Russian forces continue to attack Ukraine’s energy grid, leaving families without electricity and heating as temperatures plummet to -20° Celsius. Since 2022, the Government has established so-called “Invincibility Points” – located in tents or public […]

UN News A UN emergency shelter set up amid the ruins of Gaza.

Gaza: War crimes probe pledges to continue work for justice and accountability

January 23, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As President Trump launched the international Board of Peace plan for Gaza on Thursday, top independent rights experts tasked by the UN Human Rights Council with investigating grave abuses linked to the Hamas-Israel war pledged to continue their work seeking justice and accountability for all. “The Board […]

© WFP/Maxime Le Lijour Children wait for a hot meal at a kitchen in Khan Younis, Gaza, supported by the World Food Programme.

Cold kills another infant in Gaza as West Bank displacement intensifies

January 22, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Another child in the Gaza Strip has died from hypothermia as winter weather continues to whip the enclave, the UN said on Wednesday, citing information from the health authorities. The baby girl – just three months old – was found frozen to death on Tuesday morning at her home in […]

Critical medicines: EU measures to boost competitiveness and tackle shortages

January 21, 2026

This article is brought to you in association with the European Parliament. On Tuesday, Parliament adopted proposals to enhance the availability and supply of essential medicines in the EU. The report, adopted with 503 votes in favour, 57 against and 108 abstentions, aims to ensure a high level of public health protection for EU citizens by […]

Europe Was Warned: Why the Next Pandemic Could Be Worse

January 20, 2026

This article was exclusively written for The European Sting by one of our passionate readers, Dr Taimoor Ahmed Shumail , MD | Dr Ahmed Bilal , MD , Vice President Global Health and Diplomacy Wing – Pakistan International Medical Students Association. The opinions expressed within reflect only the writer’s views and not necessarily The European Sting’s position […]

UN News Many Palestinian families are living in poorly equipped shelters that are highly vulnerable to flooding, leaving people inevitably exposed to harsh, stormy weather..

Gaza humanitarian crisis ‘far from being over,’ UN aid coordination office warns

January 18, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Three months into the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip, the UN and partners have delivered tonnes of assistance items and carried out critical repairs, but this is only a temporary “Band-Aid” solution, a veteran aid worker has warned. “The humanitarian situation and crisis in Gaza is far […]

This article is published in association with European Investment Bank.

Will AI kickstart a new age of nuclear power?

January 17, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The rapidly expanding use of artificial intelligence worldwide is putting electrical grids under huge pressure and many believe that, to meet that need without contributing to the climate crisis, a full-scale expansion of nuclear energy is essential. The global demand for electricity is growing at a vertiginous […]

UN Photo/Loey Felipe Martha Ama Akyaa Pobee, Assistant Secretary-General for Political Affairs briefs the Security Council meeting on the situation in Iran.

Iran: UN urges ‘maximum restraint’ to avert more death, wider escalation

January 16, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As nationwide protests in Iran appear to ease after nearly three weeks of unrest and bloodshed, a senior UN official called on Thursday for action to prevent further escalation. Assistant Secretary-General Martha Pobee briefed an emergency meeting of the Security Council in New York called by the […]

UNRWA UNRWA Headquarters in East Jerusalem

East Jerusalem: Forced shutdown of UN clinic signals escalating disregard for international law

January 15, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. The temporary closure of a UN-run health centre in East Jerusalem is the latest phase in “a pattern of deliberate disregard” for international law, the head of the UN agency that assists Palestine refugees, UNRWA, said on Wednesday. Israeli forces stormed the UNRWA-operated health centre on Monday and ordered it […]

Iran: ‘The killing of peaceful demonstrators must stop,’ UN rights chief says

January 14, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. As anti-government demonstrations continue across Iran, the UN human rights chief said on Tuesday that he was horrified at the mounting violence directed by security forces against protestors, with reports of hundreds killed and thousands arrested. Volker Türk urged the authorities to immediately halt all forms of violence and repression against peaceful […]

© UNHCR/Yevheniia Kozun The bombing of residential buildings in Saltivka, Kharkiv, has left many Ukrainians without power.

Ukraine: Deadly Russian strikes push civilians deeper into winter crisis

January 13, 2026

This article is published in association with United Nations. Ukraine has entered the new year under intensifying and deadly Russian attacks which have crippled energy systems and left millions without heating, electricity or water amid freezing temperatures, senior UN officials told the Security Council on Monday. Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs Rosemary DiCarlo told ambassadors the start […]