A direct route to European competition could be opened up for Wrexham and their fellow Welsh clubs in the EFL as early as next season, if plans revealed today by the Football Association of Wales get the go-ahead.
Talks have been ongoing for several months over the possibility of Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County and Wrexham entering a revamped Welsh League Cup which could give one of them a chance to represent Wales in the UEFA Conference League.
Presentations have been made to a number of interested parties, including UEFA, the Football Association, the EFL and the 12 clubs in the JD Cymru Premier — Wales’ domestic top flight — over a plan that will see 16 teams compete in the revamped Welsh League Cup. The winners will then go through to compete in UEFA’s third-tier competition the following season.
As it stands, EFL’s Welsh quartet of clubs can only qualify for Europe through the Premier League, FA Cup and League Cup. If the FAW plan gets the go-ahead — and there are several considerable hurdles still to negotiate in that respect — Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham will sacrifice their chance to qualify for Europe via English competitions, something Swansea achieved did after winning the League Cup in 2013.
Swansea played Malmo in the UEFA Europa League in 2013 (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
The FAW estimate the changes outlined as part of Prosiect Cymru — ‘Project Wales’ in Welsh — could generate an additional £3million per season to support football at all levels throughout Wales.
Improving Wales’ UEFA co-efficient — a country’s ranking in European football, based on results over a period of time — is also at the heart of the proposals. Despite the national team recently being promoted to the Nations League Group A under head coach Craig Bellamy, Wales lag behind the continent’s elite with a 49th-place ranking out of 55 countries.
Poor performance by Cymru Premier clubs in Europe explains that lowly position, which has a knock-on effect financially with UEFA’s distribution to the various associations partly based on their respective ranking.
So what does the FAW plan entail? And how close is it to becoming reality? The Athletic took a look.
The story so far
We did a deep dive on this subject back in the autumn, which included: the pros and cons for the EFL’s Welsh contingent and their rivals; the history, including how the likes of Swansea and Cardiff were once European Cup Winners’ Cup regulars only for a rule change in the 1990s to bring that to an end. There seems little point going over old ground, but anyone wanting a bit more context can read it by clicking the link below.
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How will it work?
The revamped Welsh League Cup will feature 16 teams initially: the existing 12 Cymru Premier sides and the quartet of EFL clubs. They will compete in a four-round knockout competition with the winner earning a place in the qualifying rounds of the UEFA Conference League, a competition won last season by Greek side Olympiacos.
Olympiacos winning the UEFA Conference League last year (Theophile Bloudanis/AFP/Getty Images)
Subject to approval, the intention is to start the new League Cup next season (2025-26). The planned expansion of the Cymru Premier to 16 clubs in 2026-27 will then see an additional round introduced that will be designed to produce 16 clubs for the second round, after which the competition will continue as before.
Swansea, Cardiff, Newport and Wrexham will all be subject to team-strength criteria similar to the EFL Trophy, whereby certain player experience standards must be met. This is to ensure the four EFL clubs take the competition seriously by fielding strong XIs.
So Wrexham and Co would give up their Champions League dream?
Pretty much. If a Welsh club went on to finish in the top few places of the Premier League at some stage in the future, they’d have already given up the right to qualify via English competition. They could, in theory, win the Europa Conference League one season and then the Europa League the next, but that seems unlikely.
The flipside, of course, is that only Swansea have qualified for Europe among the EFL quartet since the Welsh Cup route was closed to teams competing in England during the 1990s.
What about money?
The FAW does not hide away from the need for Prosiect Cymru to bring financial benefits to the wider game. The governing body has drawn attention to a disparity in the funding of grassroots facilities between Wales and England, saying, “Since 2022, the Cymru Football Foundation has received £17million, whilst the English Football Foundation has received £327m to invest into grassroots facilities.”
To increase spending on grassroots, it has been agreed between the FAW and the clubs that the European money would be shared.
Analysis by Deloitte suggests that should a Welsh club negotiate the qualifying rounds and reach the main UEFA draw, the FAW could receive up to an additional £3m per season that will be used to support football at all levels. This would represent a 10 per cent increase in the total turnover of the FAW.
Additionally, it has been agreed that Cymru Premier clubs can keep 100 per cent of home gate receipts in the Welsh League Cup should they face one of the EFL quartet.
Cardiff City beat fellow Championship side Sheffield United in the FA Cup last week (Michael Regan/Getty Images)
Does it give Wrexham and Co a financial advantage over their EFL peers?
That was an initial fear among some when the plan was first mooted, as a good run in Europe — and especially reaching the group stages — can be worth millions.
The FAW, however, has today revealed that Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham have all agreed to exclude any profit derived from representing Wales in UEFA competitions for financial regulations in the EFL or Premier League. This seems designed to head off accusations that clubs can boost their balance sheet for PSR (profit and sustainability rules) or SCMP (Salary Cost Management Protocol) purposes.
Who’s on board?
The FAW, obviously. Its chief executive Noel Mooney says, “This will be a game-changer for the development of the game, as we work to unlock the full potential of Welsh football. It will unite Welsh football, improve the game at all levels and deliver meaningful societal benefits across Wales making our clubs and communities more sustainable.”
The Cymru Premier clubs also gave their unanimous approval to Prosiect Cymru along with Cardiff, Newport, Swansea and Wrexham. The EFL contingent have also agreed the revenue-sharing model.
Others kept in the loop include the Welsh Government and the Secretary of States for Wales, while the FAW has liaised with UEFA about the possibility of the EFL quartet representing Wales in their competitions.
Any opposition?
As my well-connected colleague Matt Slater made clear in his excellent Business of Football column over the weekend, the EFL are not convinced by the plan.
He wrote on Saturday, “When asked for feedback by the FA, the EFL board advised the English governing body to withhold approval, citing concerns about the integrity of its competition, the congested calendar and commercial impact.”
The Football Supporters Association also have concerns, as was made clear by chair Tom Greatrex in a letter to the FA dated December 19. He cited a lack of consultation with fans, the question of Merthyr Town (the only Welsh club competing in English non-League), fixture congestion and the potential ramifications for England and Wales to compete independently in national competition if European qualification is blurred in such a way.
Newport County are currently near the bottom of League Two (Andrew Redington/Getty Images)
“While it is difficult for the FSA to provide an absolute position, the above factors are material concerns expressed by FSA members and we would urge the FA to give all of those due consideration as part of your decision making process,” said Greatrex.
The Athletic contacted UEFA, the EFL and the FA but none of the governing bodies had anything to add as the process continues.
So, what next?
As required under FA Rule B13, the four Welsh EFL clubs have sought permission from the Football Association to participate in the FAW League Cup. That is on the premise that all four continue to participate in the EFL, while being eligible to represent Wales in UEFA competitions. As part of that, the four clubs have agreed to forfeit their right to qualify through English competitions.
No date has been set for this to be concluded. But, if the FAW are to get their wish and bring the revamped League Cup in next season, the clock is certainly ticking.
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(Top photo: Wrexham by Ben Roberts Photo via Getty Images)
