Saudi Arabia signals interest in the Champions League football entry

Saudi Arabia is interested in discussions about joining Europe’s top football club tournament, the Champions League, as the kingdom spends hundreds of millions of dollars to attract some of the world’s best players and shake up the sport.

“We are trying to be different, so any kind of format-changing or improvements that can be introduced into the league will be welcomed,” the Saudi Pro League’s (SPL) chief operating officer, Carlo Nohra, said in an interview.

The SPL is still “completely committed” to being in the AFC Champions League, which is Asia’s premier club competition, he said. Any talks about SPL teams joining Europe’s Champions League, he added, would probably be between its organiser, UEFA, and the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.

UEFA members include a few non-European countries, including Kazakhstan, whose clubs can participate in the Champions League.

UEFA referred Bloomberg to comments this month by its Chief of Football Zvonimir Boban. Responding to a report of a Saudi club joining the Champions League in 2025, he told Croatian newspaper Jutarnji List that it’s a “fabrication”.