Former Arsenal manager believes Europa League winners should qualify for the Europa League, not Champions League
Arsene Wenger, former Arsenal manager and current FIFA Chief of Global Football Development, has reignited the debate over Champions League qualification criteria by questioning the automatic berth awarded to Europa League winners.
Wenger’s remarks come as Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur edge closer to the Europa League final, despite underwhelming domestic campaigns. Both clubs are sitting in 15th and 16th places respectively, yet they are on the cusp of securing Champions League qualification through the Europa League.
“They should qualify automatically for the Europa League again, not necessarily for the Champions League,” Wenger stated in an interview with beIN Sports.
“Especially when you’re in a league where you already have too many teams, five teams, qualify. So, if we looked at it, maybe it is something to think about to review that.”
Wenger’s comments highlight concerns about the integrity of domestic league competitions. He argues that offering a Champions League spot as a reward for Europa League success could incentivise clubs to prioritise European fixtures over domestic league performance.
This perspective seems to be reinforced by Manchester United coach Amorim’s comments that he has had to sacrifice the Premier League and put his bets completely on the Europa League. The Portuguese fielded United’s youngest side in Premier League history, with an average age of 22, losing 4-3 against Brentford.
Wenger’s stance is not new. In 2017, he expressed similar reservations when Manchester United qualified for the Champions League by winning the Europa League despite finishing sixth in the Premier League. In that season, Jose Mourinho fielded a second-rate side against Wenger’s Arsenal, losing 2-0 during a crucial period when teams were battling for the top four.
“I was always against it,” said Wenger at the time. “Because apart from Man United, who did win the Europa League, all the years before it was always a team who was kicked out of the Champions League by having been kicked out of it before.”
“If a team is in April in a position where they have more chance to win the Europa League, they can let some games go in the championship, and not completely focus on that, on the regularity of the competition.”
