UEFA development could impact Chelsea as three new rules discussed for Champions League next season

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UEFA are holding discussions around potential changes to next season’s Champions League format, which will impact Chelsea if they manage to qualify for Europe’s elite club competition.

Chelsea haven’t featured in back-to-back seasons of the Champions League, and they’re at risk of missing out for a third straight year.

As a result of England sitting top of UEFA’s coefficient table, the top five in the Premier League will secure qualification for the 2025/26 Champions League tournament.

The Blues currently sit sixth in the Premier League table going into their final five top-flight fixtures, so they’ve still got plenty of work to do.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	LiverpoolLiverpool	33	24	7	2	75	31	44	79
2	ArsenalArsenal	34	18	13	3	63	29	34	67
3	Man CityManchester City	34	18	7	9	66	43	23	61
4	Nottm ForestNottingham Forest	33	18	6	9	53	39	14	60
5	NewcastleNewcastle	33	18	5	10	62	44	18	59
6	ChelseaChelsea	33	16	9	8	58	40	18	57
7	Aston VillaAston Villa	34	16	9	9	54	49	5	57

In the most up to date prediction, Opta predicts Chelsea are most likely to finish seventh in this season’s Premier League. It’s certainly a tough set of fixtures for Enzo Maresca’s side to navigate in the next month, starting with the weekend’s match at home to David Moyes’ Everton.

• READ MORE: Three things Enzo Maresca must get right to achieve Champions League football for Chelsea

Potential rule changes to next season’s Champions League

According to German publication Bild, UEFA are already discussing possible changes to next season’s format of the Champions League.

It is understood that any adjustments could be decided on 30 May by the Club Competitions Committee. In the meantime, they’re gathering opinions from clubs.

The report has shared three points that are on the agenda when it comes to potential changes.

• Penalty shootout instead of extra time
• The top eight teams in the league phase to play the second leg at home in all knockout rounds
• No teams from the same country to play each other before quarter-finals

Does Enzo Maresca need to bag Champions League qualification?

It was reported earlier in the season that Enzo Maresca’s target is to qualify for the Champions League during his first year as the club’s head coach.

At the moment, there’s a chance that the Blues do miss out on Europe’s best club competition yet again.

Earlier in April, it was claimed that Chelsea are not planning to get rid of Enzo Maresca, so perhaps his job isn’t solely dependent on Champions League qualification. It would certainly help fix a tension between him and the club’s fanbase, though.

It’s not been ideal for the Blues this season playing on Thursday nights because of their involvement in the Conference League, so everyone will hope they’re back in the glamorous midweek ties next season in the Champions League.