Does European Football Need More Balance After “We Really Messed Up”?

Published: 17 February 2026. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online

European football’s governing bodies, clubs and fans are increasingly asking a hard question: has the beautiful game in Europe become too unbalanced? What once was a landscape of surprise winners and thrilling uncertainty has narrowed dramatically, with the same elite sides dominating both domestic leagues and the Champions League — prompting some to admit, in blunt terms, “we really messed up.”

Historically, European competitions like the UEFA Champions League were renowned for underdog stories — where lesser-known clubs could dream of deep runs and even trophies. But over the past two decades that reality has faded. Today’s elite competitions are heavily skewed toward clubs from four major leagues: England’s Premier League, Spain’s La Liga, Germany’s Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A. Together, these four account for more than half of all teams in the Champions League group stage — and a small subset of those regularly reach the late knockout rounds.

Only Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain have broken the English and Spanish hold on Europe’s top prize in the past 15 years, underlining how tight the hierarchy has become. Clubs from outside the traditional powerhouses — like Dutch giants Ajax or Portuguese sides Porto and Benfica — rarely make it to the latter stages, with only occasional quarter-final appearances in recent seasons.

Meanwhile, dominant domestic champions in smaller leagues — such as Ludogorets in Bulgaria or Red Star Belgrade in Serbia — enjoy local success year after year, yet struggle to compete internationally. Their situation highlights a growing divide: a handful of teams accumulate wealth, sponsorship and TV revenue on a global scale, while others fight just to make group stages and survive financially.

Critics argue that this imbalance weakens the overall ecosystem of European football. Fans are less engaged when competitions feel predictable, and smaller clubs find it increasingly hard to invest in infrastructure, youth development and competitive squads. Even UEFA admits that competitive balance is essential for the health and sustainability of the sport — but acknowledges that fixing imbalance is a complex challenge influenced by revenue disparities, market size and commercial appeal.

Some proposals to address these issues include redistributing a greater share of European competition revenue to benefit clubs outside the elite, and rewarding teams for developing young players who go on to perform at the highest level. However, stakeholders agree there is no simple or quick solution — and that change will require cooperation across leagues, clubs and governing bodies over many years.

What’s clear is that European football stands at a crossroads. If the sport is to rediscover the unpredictability and breadth of competition that defined its glory days, structural reform — and perhaps a recognition that “we messed up” — could be the first step toward a more balanced future.