The Football Association of Wales (FAW) is proposing a major shapeup of the country’s football league structure which could see more teams compete in Europe.
Announced today (13 January), the plans would see the winner of the Welsh League Cup go into the qualifying rounds of a UEFA club competition – though it has not been confirmed which league this would be.
As Wales is ranked 49th in the UEFA club coefficient, it is most likely that the Welsh League Cup winner would participate in the UEFA Conference League or maybe the Europa League, should the plans receive approval.
The 12 clubs of the JP Cymru League have unanimously backed the plan along with Cardiff City, Swansea City, Wrexham and Newport County, the four highest ranked Welsh clubs which play in the English system.
In a revamp of the Welsh Cup, Cardiff, Swansea, Wrexham and Newport will participate in the tournament, which has previously been limited to only teams competing in the Welsh league. The four clubs’ votes of approval also concerned revenue sharing.
The FAW has also discussed the proposals with UEFA, the Welsh government and the UK government’s Secretary of State for Wales. However, it is still subject to approval from the English Football Association (FA), which must approve the participation of the four clubs which compete in the English leagues.
“This will be a gamechanger for the development of the game as we work to unlock the full potential of Welsh football,” said Noel Mooney, Chief Executive of the FAW. “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.
“It will generate significant additional revenue through a revamped Welsh League Cup competition with expanded participation of the four highest ranked Welsh clubs that participate in the English football pyramid.”
The FAW believes that by securing a European spot for Welsh teams, the country’s overall football ecosystem will benefit from increased funding. With total payments to Champions League, Europa League and Conference league clubs amounting to €3.317bn in 2023/24, the rationale is hard to argue with.
Welsh football authorities estimate that the league can unlock £3m per season through the initiative, which will be funnelled into grassroots football initiatives throughout Wales.
The FAW also argues that this will address a disparity in government-sanctioned funding into football between England and Wales, the former receiving £327m since 2022 against the latter’s £17m.
Wales has another motivation to boost funding for its football ecosystem, this being the UEFA Euro 2028.
The tournament is due to be jointly hosted by England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland for the first time, and Welsh football authorities may be keen to better prepare the country for international hosting and shore up its footballing credentials.
“This will be distributed throughout the JD Cymru Premier, Genero Adran Premier and grassroots facilities across the country,” Mooney explained the FAW’s funding plans.
“It also represents the spirit of collaboration and cooperation among football associations across the UK ahead of the home nations’ joint co-hosting EURO 2028.”
Though the JD Cymru League – known for many years as the Welsh Premier League before a sponsorship-related rebrand in 2019/20 – may be more closed off to European football than its counterparts in England and Scotland, there is still some European history.
The New Saints, which have won the Welsh title 16 times but are based in the border county of Shropshire in England, have a growing history in European football, having become the first Welsh side to reach the league stage of European competition during the ongoing 2024/25 Conference League season.
Speaking to Insider Sport last year, the club’s Chairman, Mike Harris, discussed the team’s European history, such as its qualifying round clashes against Manchester City in 2004 and Liverpool in 2005, and the impact future success could have on Welsh football.
“There is funding that flows from Europe, and outside probably five leagues within Europe, that is the funding that sets up the funding for every national league,” he said.
“When you take England, Germany, Italy, Spain, they have massive funding from their own associations just based on the size of those countries and their history.
Europe is an important funding stream, but the drive for the club is not the funding that comes from it is the success it brings to the league and the success it brings to that country.”