According to UEFA plans, Champions League qualification could be set for a major change. That's due to the introduction of 'wildcards'. If approved on May 10, there will be two places available for the most historically successful teams in European competition over the last ten years who have not qualified for the Champions League through domestic means.
For example, should Manchester United fail to qualify by finishing in the top four this season, under the new rules - set to come in from 2024 - they would almost certainly pick up one of the wildcard spots, due to their position of ninth place in the UEFA ten year coefficient. However, the same would not be the case for a team like Newcastle United.
The Magpies have ambitions to push towards Champions League qualification in the next few seasons thanks to the financial backing of the Saudi Arabian PIF Fund but if they finished fifth, they would be highly unlikely to gain a wildcard. Their ranking of 94th in the coefficient would almost certainly be bettered by another team to have missed out on qualification for UEFA's flagship tournament.
