Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Ludogorets have secured 14 consecutive Bulgarian league titles, yet according to Transfermarkt, their average attendance last season ranked only seventh within their domestic competition.
By Alex Bysouth, BBC Sport Senior Journalist
Ludogorets' Unprecedented Dominance and the Champions League Disparity
As Ludogorets celebrated another Bulgarian league championship last summer, a striking historical comparison emerged: only Tafea, a club hailing from the remote South Pacific archipelago of Vanuatu, boasts a longer streak of consecutive titles – a record Ludogorets is poised to equal. Despite this remarkable domestic dominance, the club has been conspicuously absent from the Champions League group stages for a decade, highlighting a growing imbalance within European football. The club’s strength within its own league contrasts sharply with its inability to challenge the continent’s elite, exposing a delicate and increasingly strained ecosystem.
The Champions League: A Concentrated Power Base
The Champions League, a competition initiated for league champions in 1992, currently features a significant concentration of power. This season’s edition showcases six teams from England, five from Spain, and four each from Italy and Germany. These four nations collectively account for over half of the 36 teams participating in the league phase, demonstrating a clear trend towards a limited pool of contenders.
The competition’s value and viewership have surged dramatically in recent years. Uefa’s television rights revenue escalated from just under £500 million in 2003-04 to £2.8 billion in 2023-24, with projections exceeding £4 billion for the 2027 cycle. However, this financial growth has coincided with a narrowing of the trophy’s reach. Only Bayern Munich and Paris St-Germain have managed to disrupt the longstanding dominance of English and Spanish clubs over the past 15 years, with an Italian team last claiming victory in 2010. The successes of former champions like Marseille, Ajax, and Porto now seem increasingly distant, as do the triumphs of clubs from leagues like Serbia (Red Star Belgrade), the Netherlands (PSV), or the Czech Republic (FCSB, formerly Steaua Bucharest).
Recent Revamps and Emerging Upsets
Recent changes to the Champions League format have aimed to increase participation and introduce more unpredictable outcomes. Debutants Bodo/Glimt famously achieved stunning victories over Manchester City and Atletico Madrid this season, showcasing the potential for upsets. While Ajax reached the semi-finals in 2019, they remain the sole club outside of Europe’s top five leagues to achieve such a feat in the past two decades.
“If you had envisioned the Champions League in 1992, I believe you’d be astonished by its current state,” remarked Alex Muzio, president of the Union of European Clubs (UEC). He cited France as a cautionary tale, where PSG is on track to secure its 12th title in 14 years, illustrating the risk of domestic competitions becoming overly predictable.
Addressing the Imbalance: A Call for Parity
Muzio, also the majority owner of Belgian champions Union Saint-Gilloise, emphasizes the need for greater parity in European football, drawing comparisons to the competitive landscapes of the Premier League, cricket’s IPL, and American football’s NFL. He suggests that only four truly elite leagues currently exist in Europe, acknowledging the challenges facing competitions like Ligue 1, which has adopted a direct-to-consumer streaming model.
Uefa acknowledges the importance of competitive balance and recognizes it as a "complex challenge" that requires a multifaceted approach. They attribute structural disparities to factors beyond European competition revenues, including domestic market strength, commercial potential, club and league history, and national distribution methods. Across Europe, a tier of dominant champions has emerged, including Red Star Belgrade (eight consecutive titles in Serbia), Ferencvaros (Hungary, seven titles), and Slovan Bratislava (Slovakia, seven titles), none of whom qualified for the Champions League proper this season.
The Path to European Competition: A Slovak Perspective
Slovan Bratislava’s recent journey exemplifies the hurdles faced by clubs from smaller leagues. Their appearance in last season’s Champions League marked their first since winning the Czechoslovak First League title in 1993. Sporting director Robert Vittek stated the club’s ambition is to emulate Bayern Munich’s consistent domestic success. “The key to financial sustainability is participation in European competitions,” he explained, highlighting the significant revenue generated from hosting matches against teams like Manchester City and AC Milan.
Vittek also acknowledged the difficulty of breaking into the elite, stating, “There is a ‘champions path’ for clubs like us, offering a route to the main phase, though it remains challenging.” He emphasized the importance of earning approximately £18 million in TV revenue, alongside increased crowds and commercial opportunities.
Potential Solutions and Future Directions
Uefa has increased solidarity payments to clubs not participating in European competitions by 80% – nearly £270 million – demonstrating a commitment to redistribution. The UEC is exploring further measures, including a domestic media rights protection policy and a player development reward system to support clubs outside the top leagues. Latvia has even proposed a combined Baltic League to boost revenue and competitiveness.
Muzio cautions that addressing the imbalance requires a long-term, collaborative effort. “There’s no magic wand,” he concluded, emphasizing the need for ongoing dialogue and a shared understanding within the football community.
