The UEFA Super Cup could be expanded and moved outside Europe.
That’s the latest revelation in a footballing landscape which is constantly in flux with change, awash with cash, and filled with grandiose ideas of growth.
Since 1973, the Super Cup showdown has been the prize awaiting the victors of the Champions League and either the Cup Winners’ Cup or the Europa League (including their forerunners).
The competition was witnessed some brilliant games – Barcelona pipping Sevilla 5-4 in 2015; Radamel Falcao scoring a hat-trick in 2012 as Atletico Madrid thrashed Chelsea 4-1; Galatasaray shocking Real Madrid with Mario Jardel’s Golden Goal in 2000.
But its rich history could be traded for a new format, played out in a far-flung destination, according to The Telegraph.
The outlet reports that it could expand to four teams and see its fixtures played in the Middle East or United States.
The UEFA Super Cup could be expanded to four teams and played in the USA or Middle East
Previous proposals to revamp the tournament could resurface as bids are considered
UEFA have previously floated the notion of re-inventing the Super Cup.
In 2022, in a document used to sell TV rights for the 2024-2027 period, the idea of a ‘Champions League opening tournament’ was raised.
Currently, it is unclear who else would gain entry into the tournament if it was doubled in size.
A logical solution would be to include the winners of the Europa Conference League and the runners-up of the Champions League.
And this sort of switch does have precedent. The Supercopa de Espana used to be a two-team affair, but since 2020 it has included four teams – the winners and runners-up of La Liga and the Copa del Rey – playing their games out in Saudi Arabia, barring 2021.
According to The Telegraph, the idea for an enlarged, relocated Super Cup could resurface as UEFA and their US-based media rights sales partner, Relevent, consider fresh bids.
It would be another sign of a changing game which often forefronts the desire to profit over catering to local fans.
Just this week, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) reportedly approved a request to stage December’s LaLiga clash between Villarreal and Barcelona.
Since 1973, the Super Cup has been an exclusively European affair between two teams
The RFEF’s board of directors, who received and discussed the proposal during a meeting on Monday, have given a green light to the request which will now be submitted to UEFA and FIFA for further approval.
In what would mark the first ever European top-flight league fixture to take place abroad, it has been requested that Villarreal’s home clash with Barcelona in December be played at the Hard Rock Stadium in Miami, Florida, as per The Athletic.
