The Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on Friday announced that from 2018 all four major European leagues - La Liga, Bundesliga, Premier League and Serie A - will see four teams enter the group stage without having to go through a qualification round.
In a statement on its website, UEFA announced a series of changes to the Champions League and the Europa League to take effect in the 2018 season, among which "the top four clubs from the four top-ranked national associations will now qualify automatically for the group stage of the UEFA Champions League," reports Efe.
In addition, a Champions League group slot will be guaranteed to the previous season's Europa League winner, whereas currently, the winner can be made to qualify through the play-offs.
--IANS
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