Lega Calcio Serie A

European Leagues members endorse 2026-27 Strategic Priorities aimed at furthering the development of football

European Leagues members endorse 2026-2027 Strategic Priorities based around five core pillars setting forward a pathway to secure football’s sustainable future. Adoption of statutory changes to lead to historical membership expansion opening the door to women’s professional leagues joining European Leagues.

The 52nd General Assembly of European Leagues, saw representatives from 35 Leagues meet in Sofia, Bulgaria for two days of detailed discussions covering a wide range of critical matters relating to the development of football. The gathering which marked the 1st General Assembly of the new cycle (2025-29) under the leadership of Claudius Schäfer welcomed senior representatives from UEFA and FIFA alongside officials from European Leagues sister organisation World Leagues Association, EFC, UEC, FIFPro and FSE.

Members and stakeholders address key challenges and opportunities facing the game

Day 1, saw participants attend a seminar covering the relationship between the domestic and international game and league development matters. Detailed exchanges took place on topics including the ongoing impact of the UEFA Club Competition revenue distribution model on domestic football, the effects of the growth of international competitions on both domestic football’s broadcast market and its calendar and the continued need to consider how to strengthen cost control mechanisms. There is increasing concern that the growth of international competitions is leading to polarisation across the game which undermines competitive balance in many leagues. This worrying trend places at risk the long-term development of domestic football and its foundational position on which the game’s rich traditions were designed and its future development depends.

General Assembly begins with addresses by European Leagues President Claudius Schäfer and EU Sports Commissioner Glenn Micallef

The formal part of the General Assembly began on the morning of 12 March and saw European Leagues’ President Claudius Schäfer open proceedings by reiterating the importance of strengthened unity within the organisation as a means to advance the cause of common objectives based around aligned interests. His full speech can be found here.

This was followed by an address from European Commissioner for Sport Glenn Micallef who highlighted the need to protect the position of domestic leagues as the foundations on which the pyramid is built stressing the importance of achieving balance across the ecosystem as a means to sustain the European Sport Model. In seeking to address issues the game faces, he called on football to strengthen its governance model to ensure greater stakeholder involvement across decision-making and made clear his willingness to support efforts to combat piracy which continues to undermine important revenue streams needed to support the game’s development at all levels of the pyramid.

Members unanimously endorse Strategic Priorities for the coming phase

The main part of the agenda focused around the European Leagues 2026-2027 Strategic Priorities which were unanimously endorsed by Members. The priorities are based around five core pillars which are defined as follows:

Addressing growing polarisation across the game to preserve competitive balance
Re-enforcing governance as a means to deliver optimal decision-making
Enacting a legislative framework to combat piracy
Strengthening industrial relations through an ongoing commitment to the Social Dialogue both at European and global level
Securing the future of the European Sport Model

The full Strategy can be found here.

“The

elaboration

of

this

strategy

has

one

simple

aim

–

to

secure

football’s

sustainable

future.

At

a

time

of

rapid

evolution

for

the

game

and

society

more

widely

we

see

threats

and

challenges

emerging

that

risk

undermining

European

football’s

development.

Our

focus

over

the

next

couple

of

years

will

be

around

these

strategic

priorities

which

we

believe

form

the

critical

elements

on

which

the

game’s

sustainable

future

depends.

Delivering

on

these

will

help

secure

balance

across

football’s

eco-system

and

ensure

future

generations

of

players

and

fans

can

continue

to

benefit

from

the

very

best

the

beautiful

game

has

to

offer.

We

look

forward

to

working

in

a

constructive

and

collaborative

manner

with

UEFA,

FIFA,

National

Associations

and

fellow

stakeholders

in

meeting

our

responsibilities

as

guardians

of

the

game’s

best

interests

and

continued

success.”
European Leagues President Claudius Schäfer

Adoption of statutory changes to see professional women’s leagues join the Association

In what was a historical moment for European Leagues, members adopted statutory changes which will open up membership to professional women’s leagues from across Europe. The changes will also see the Board expand allowing for formal representation of the women’s game in European League’s main decision-making body.

“This

expansion

of

the

European

Leagues

membership

to

include

women’s

leagues

is

of

great

significance

for

the

organisation.

At

a

time

of

rapid

evolution

for

the

women’s

game

it

is

critical

that

the

voice

of

women’s

domestic

football

is

an

organized

and

united

one

which

can

carry

weight

and

influence

across

decision-making.

Through

membership

of

European

Leagues,

women’s

league’s

will

be

able

offer

valuable

input

around

the

development

of

football.

This

is

a

moment

of

very

real

pride

for

European

Leagues

which

will

see

it

welcome

new

members

to

its

family

in

the

coming

months.”

Fiona McIntyre Chair of the Women’s European Leagues Platform