Uefa are expected to announce today that the winners of the Europa League will qualify for the Champions League from 2014-15 onwards.
The move is designed to enhance the status of the Europa League, which has been seen as European club football’s wooden spoon ever since the old Uefa Cup was rebranded.
A provision will also be made to allow as many as five clubs from one country to qualify for the Champions League.
This would mean that teams who win the Champions League or Europa League, but finish outside the European qualifying places in their domestic campaign, will no longer take the place of teams who have legitimately qualified during the course of the league season.
And so in a case like when Tottenham Hotspur qualified for the Champions League by finishing fourth in the Premier League, but missed out because Chelsea won the Champions League and finished sixth, the fourth-placed team would still qualify. England would then have five representatives in the Champions League.
The new rules are expected to be ratified by the Uefa Congress in London on Friday and will apply from 2014-15.
Is it a good idea for the Europe League winners to qualify for the Champions League?