Three and a half years after a botched attempt to upend elite-level club football, the European Super League is back.

In April 2021, 12 clubs including six from the Premier League signed up to the breakaway competition that sought to challenge the hegemony of the UEFA Champions League.

However, a proposed closed-competition structure without promotion or relegation was one of several reasons for an instant and vociferous fan backlash, most notably in England.

Rapidly, clubs withdrew from the proposed competition, with only Barcelona and Real Madrid maintaining support for the project from the initial dozen clubs.

However, on December 17, 2024, The Telegraph broke the story that European Super League operating company A22 Sports has prepared a re-branded “Unify League” proposal that it hopes can win hearts and minds with a free-to-air broadcast offer.

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What is the Unify League?

Despite losing the initial backing of Manchester City, Manchester United, Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham, Atletico Madrid, Inter Milan, AC Milan and Juventus, the Madrid-based A22 will now seek UEFA’s permission to operate the Unify League.

This is a notable departure from the attempt to essentially blindside European football’s governing body in 2021. A22 has close links to Real Madrid president Florentino Perez (pictured) — a committed advocate for the Super League project — and believes UEFA is obliged to recognise it following a December 2023 ruling by the European Court of Justice that said UEFA and FIFA acted against competition law by blocking the formation of the ESL in 2021.

Being allowed to form is only part of the battle given how discrediting the Super League episode was the first time around. However, it feels like A22 has put plenty of effort into trying to win over supporters.

What is the Unify League format?

The Unify League men’s competition would have 96 participants, with qualification determined by performances in domestic leagues.

The participating clubs would be spilt across four leagues: the top-tier Star and Gold leagues with 16 clubs each, and the Blue and Union League with 32 teams each.

Across each league, clubs will be split into groups of eight, playing one another home and away to mean a guaranteed 14 games for each team. At the end of the group stage, the top two in each group will progress to the quarterfinals.

The Star and Gold league quarterfinals would be combined, pitting the eight qualifying clubs into two-legged knockout ties. Blue and Union would have separate quarterfinals.

Semifinals and finals will be one-off matches played on neutral ground across a single territory in a one-week season finale.

Presenting the Unify League as an attractive alternative to UEFA is clearly a key part of A22’s strategy. On its website, it maps out how the Unify League is more streamlined, with 96 clubs as opposed to the 108 across UEFA’s Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, while also having more guaranteed overall matches and home fixtures for each club.

A more traditional round-robin phase might also play well after UEFA’s move to its so-called Swiss model this season, although just two teams qualifying from groups of eight creates the obvious potential for multiple dead-rubber matches.

The women’s Unify League would feature 32 clubs — up from the 18 that will take part in the UEFA Women’s Champions League league phase from next season — across 16-team Star and Gold leagues to mirror the top tiers of the men’s competition.

Will the Unify League be free to watch?

At first glance, this would appear to be the most radical part of the proposal.

A22 plans to show all games on a free Unify Platform digital streaming service. The organisers believe this move will “democratise football by allowing fans everywhere to watch” without having to pay subscription charges.

The Unity Platform will be paid for by advertising on the free-to-air service and offer a tiered model whereby paying subscribers can watch matches with minimal commercial disruptions.