Champions League: the first four teams of the Top 4 leagues directly in the group stage from 2018-19

In the new format of the Champions League finalised for the 2018-19, 2019-20, and 2020-21 seasons, the first four clubs of the Top 4 ranked leagues via the UEFA association, or "country", coefficient rankings (currently Spain, Germany, England, and Italy) will be qualify automatically into the group stage of 32 teams, UEFA announced on 26/08/2016. The Top 4 leagues will thus account for half of the teams involved in the group stage (16 of 32, against 14 of 32 in 2016-17).

This change is one of the innovations for the 2018-2021 cycle presented by UEFA in Monaco, on 26/08/2016. "Following an extensive consultative process involving all European football stakeholders, UEFA proposed amendments which have been approved by the UEFA Executive Committee, upon recommendations of the UEFA Club Competitions Committee and the ECA Board," stated the European confederation.

In the current cycle, which ends in 2017-18, only the first three of the Top 3 ranked leagues in the UEFA coefficient qualify directly into the group stage, the fourth place team must contest the qualifying rounds. For the…