As the first games of the Round of 16 of this year’s Champions League competition are underway, Europe and the world will tune in to watch some of the best soccer players test their skills against other top competition on the continent.  Some might find it odd, however, that there are only only five nations represented by the teams remaining.  Often referred to as the the “Big Five,” England, Spain, France, Italy, and Germany dominate continental soccer in Europe and this year is no exception.  With the likes of Liverpool (England), Real Madrid (Spain), PSG (France), Juventus (Italy), and Borussia Dortmond (Germany), vying for the title of best team in Europe, have they really worked their way through all of the competition that the continent has to offer?

For the Premier League, England’s top soccer league, there are three guaranteed places in the actual Champions League tournament for the top three teams in the regular season over the past year.  To put this into perspective, for Dutch juggernauts Ajax who finished as the top team in their nation, a position in the tournament was not even guaranteed.  Instead, a lengthy process of qualification would be necessary to cement their spot as a contender.  For other nations, the reality can be much worse, no Champions League possibility at all.

Now, consider that UEFA, the governing body for soccer in Europe, is contemplating the possibility of making entrance into the elite competition even more difficult.  Ideas range from a similar Champions League style tournament that would just include the largest of clubs, to exclusive leagues in which these same clubs would play and in turn forgo their national schedule.  The theory for UEFA is that with all of the best players and biggest names in one place, revenue for the new league would be unprecedented and could help expand the sport across the globe.  Also, one of the flaws with the current system surrounds financial disparity of the clubs participating.  When Barcelona or another of the most established teams is required to play against another team who has barely mad the cut for the tournament, and whose field is not up to the standards of other elite level teams, the quality of the game and television product decreases.  Often, in matchups like this, the larger team will only field a group of youth players from their academies who have yet to see first team playing time.  While this is a fantastic experience and opportunity, it is really not ideal for UEFA.

By creating an exclusive league, yes, the problem of monetary disparity among the clubs within would no longer be an issue, and the product for consumers would be consistently excellent, but it would create larger gaps in the European game as a whole.  No longer would there be opportunities for Cinderella stories or for struggling teams to battle their way to the Champions League.  Instead, soccer fans around the globe would only be focused on the top teams and smaller clubs would fall deeper into financial woes.

Excluding entire nations and groups of teams may appear to be the easiest option to take, however, it does not address the problem as a whole.  There are a group of nations which have been fortunate to have a dearth of talent and money who now dominate the modern game.  For any others to have a chance to keep up, we need to have the Champions League alive and inclusive.  Competition is good for any business and it is always good for sports.  Keep the underdogs alive!