The competition could feature five English clubs on a regular basis from 2024, and up to seven in exceptional circumstances, after a major overhaul of the competition was agreed on Tuesday.

After a year of intense debate, the best way forward for Europe's premier club competition is to award two places in a new, expanded 36-team league system to clubs from the two countries who performed best in Europe.

The system would have given England an extra place in four of the last five seasons.

  • Get Sky Sports
  • Download the Sky Sports app

If these were all different clubs, seven English teams could qualify in a single season in the new model, with the top four in the league, a fifth-place team and the winners of the European competition.

This scenario is likely to be a meteorite hitting this room, but it is still a possibility.

Critics said the proposal to award places based on a club's performance in Europe over the past five seasons created a safety net for big clubs who performed poorly domestically.

The agreement was hailed as proof that European football was more united than ever, but there are still questions about how open the new competition will be.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin during the UEFA Nations League Finals draw at the Shelbourne Hotel, Dublin. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Monday December 3, 2018. See PA story SOCCER Nations. Photo credit should read: Niall Carson/PA Wire
Image: Aleksander Ceferin said the changes show UEFA is committed to 'open competition'

The current scoring system gives bonus points for the qualification of countries which already have four places. There are no plans to review that system according to senior sources.

Domestic leagues will have questions about how these plans will affect their competition, both in terms of reducing interest and also in regards to match scheduling.

The increase in matches from six to 10 was approved by the executive committee last year, but that has been cut to eight because of domestic league pressure.

In the new 36-team league, teams will play four home games and four away games on a seeding basis.

Even though the increase is moderate, it still means that January will be the first time that the European Championship will be played in England. The conversations around the new format are not over yet, according to a senior premier league source.

The concept of a week of football, which had been reported, has been ruled out by the European governing body.

Bernardo Silva and Luka Modric in action during the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid in the Bernabeu
Image: Bernardo Silva and Luka Modric in action during the Champions League semi-final between Manchester City and Real Madrid at the Bernabeu

The new format will allow clubs from the same country to play each other sooner in the play-off round, which will decide the final eight places in the last 16.

64 extra matches will be added from the current 125 to 189.

The initial indications were that it would not be possible to make a final decision in Vienna after the country coefficients proposal was put to the European Club Association's board in Madrid on Monday.

The crucial club competition committee meeting was put back by an hour on Tuesday to allow time for further negotiation.

The UEFA has clearly shown today that it is fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competition, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model.

We listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs and leagues to name but a few, with the aim to find the best solution for the development and success of European football.

We are convinced that the format chosen strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance and generate solid revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues and into grassroots football across our continent while increasing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions.

Revenue for the new competitions is projected to increase by almost 40 per cent, but discussions on the financial distribution model for the 2024-27 cycle - and how much goes to support clubs outside European competition - will now begin in earnest.

The two extra places in the group stage will go to a third club from the fifth-ranked association and a further domestic league winner.