El Nacional said that it was not possible to have Saudi clubs play in this nation’s football federation’s UEFA Champions League.

The media was ablaze with speculation on August 17 that Saudi Arabia intended to send teams to the European Cup. Even Corriere dello Sport claims that UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin met with many Saudi Football Federation executives and those connected to the Public Investment Fund (PIF) to address the issue. When the Champions League expands to 36 clubs and alters its format in 2024–2025, Saudi Arabia expects that the highest football governing body in Europe will grant them unique slots.

It’s actually fairly easy to understand why Saudi Arabia wishes to compete in the UEFA Champions League as opposed to the AFC Champions League. They aim to elevate Saudi football after bringing in a number of elite players, including Neymar, Karim Benzema, and Cristiano Ronaldo.

El Nacional, a newspaper, asserted that Saudi Arabia’s proposal cannot be implemented since it will impact numerous aspects, chief among them economic interests. Furthermore, UEFA is worried that Saudi Arabia’s qualification for the UEFA Champions League may make it more challenging for European leagues to find talent. As a result, players will flock to Saudi Arabia because they can still compete in the Champions League and have just enjoyed incredible treatment here.

This year’s summer market for European football is chaotic because of the dominance of Saudi Arabian clubs. The coaches are faced with the difficult task of finding a substitute for the players who have agreed to play in Saudi Arabia, despite the host team’s reluctance to trade its key players due to the allure of money. Consider Liverpool. In order to facilitate the generational shift at Anfield, Klopp has stated that he intends to retain Henderson and Fabinho for at least one more season. However, in the end, financial power outweighed competence.