Elite clubs are pushing UEFA to raise the maximum number of players in Champions League squads to 28, arguing that larger rosters could lower the risk of injuries. This push has reached the very top levels of European football and has raised concerns that it would further concentrate talent among a few elite teams.
During a meeting of UEFA’s Club Competitions Committee (CCC) last month, several clubs argued that the current cap of 25 players should be increased. However, the proposal is not universal within the CCC, as 8 of the 16 represented clubs voiced strong opposition to expansion. No formal decision or concrete proposal came out of the discussion, but the topic was not dismissed and is expected to be revisited. The issue was also discussed at UEFA’s National Team Competitions Committee, where coaches are divided on whether larger squads would be beneficial.
Proponents contend that bigger squads would lessen player overwork and keep top-level matches highly competitive, since more bench options would preserve quality in the later stages of games. Critics warn that a modest change in squad size could have outsized consequences for European football’s competitiveness. They argue that the talent pool at the very top is already limited, and expanding squads would push even more of the best players—those fans are eager to see—into the hands of a select few clubs.
This debate emerges as European football’s power brokers seek sustainable financial growth while maintaining the fragile structure of club competition. Smaller domestic leagues across Europe fear accelerated talent drain as media revenues increasingly concentrate in the Premier League and the Champions League.
Charlie Marshall, chief executive of European Football Clubs, told the Financial Times Business of Football summit that while financial redistribution should protect the football pyramid, the needs of the biggest clubs tend to drive the game. “The layers of a pyramid need to be close to each other,” he said, “but there is a pyramid and there is therefore a hierarchy.”
