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New Europe opportunity for leading Welsh clubs

As part of a shake-up of the domestic game in Wales, plans are afoot for Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport to enter the Welsh League Cup, alongside the current Cymru Premier (Welsh Premier League) clubs. The winners, if the proposal is agreed by the Football Association (FA), Football Association of Wales (FAW) and UEFA, the European game’s governing body, would compete at continental level in the following season’s Conference League.

For Phil Parkinson, the Wrexham manager, the prospect is an exciting one. “To bring European football back to Wrexham would be amazing,” he says. “Great to test yourself against teams from different countries around Europe. Be fantastic to have that opportunity.”

Speak to those pushing for change and there’s a sense it could be given the go-ahead before the end of this calendar year, meaning Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport would enter next season’s Welsh League Cup, and its winners would enter the 2026-27  Conference League, UEFA’s third-tier club competition.

This timetable may prove ambitious however, primarily due to existing commercial and broadcast contracts not expiring until the end of next season. The FAW may also prefer such a change to be part of the major relaunch for the Cymru Premier that starts in 2026-27.

For Europe,a proportion of gate receipts and prize money is likely to be on the table. That way, should Swansea or fellow Championship side Cardiff progress through the Conference League group stage and land a glamour tie against one of the elite, everyone back in Wales benefits as well.

With prize money for reaching the league phase in the revamped 2024-25 format set by UEFA at €3.17million (£2.7m/$3.5m) and each victory worth another €400,000, we are talking pretty serious money.There’s also the financial benefit attached to a country’s co-efficient ranking, with UEFA handing over a bigger slice of funding to the better-performing leagues.

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