Wanting The Champions League Final To Be More Exhilarating Than The Super Bowl, Al-Khelaifi: Let's Challenge The Status Quo

JAKARTA - Nasser Al-Khelaifi, president of Paris Saint-Germain and chairman of the European Club Association (ECA), said several changes could be implemented to make the Champions League final a spectacle bigger than the Super Bowl.

Although the 2021 Champions League final generated 700 million viewers worldwide, which is significantly more than the 112 million viewers who watched the 2022 Super Bowl, Al-Khelaifi stated that the NFL event was grander than the biggest game of European club football.

"The final has to be bigger. I don't understand how the Super Bowl can feel bigger than the Champions League final," Al-Khelaifi told Athletic quoted by Marca, Tuesday, April 5.

"The Super Bowl, and the US in general, has a mindset, creativity, and entertainment. That's what I recommend: having the Champions League opening ceremony; having one game on opening night where the winners face the big teams.

"Maybe it's not a great idea, but at least let's challenge the status quo. Every game should be an event and entertainment."

Meanwhile, there will be some changes to the Champions League from 2024 onwards, with an additional four teams competing - bringing the total from 32 to 36 - as UEFA continues to try and develop the competition.

Some suggest that one way to further develop the Champions League is to have live streaming to consumers, rather than traditional TV contracts. But Al-Khelaifi disagrees with this, at least for now.

"First, don't ignore linear TV (scheduled programming) - everyone says it's dead for 10 years," said Al-Khelaifi.

“Every major broadcaster is linear and digital. Four out of five people watched the Russia World Cup final (France vs Croatia) linearly. But of course, digital innovation is one of the things we are looking for.

"We also thought with UEFA about the format and experience of the event. Take the Champions League - by far the best club competition - but how do we make every game an event?

"My suggestion would be to have a creative and entertainment department as part of a new joint venture between UEFA and ECA.

"How do we make the group stage interesting? The time difference is a problem for the US and Asia. So how can we work on this for international rights which has huge potential? We are thinking about all kinds of things - new venues, new markets, new formats."