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UEFA make HUGE Champions League and Europa League changes: Key dates for 2018/19 season
ALL of the Premier League's top six will be guaranteed European group stage football next season.
UEFA have announced a series of changes to its premier competition, the Champions League
The news comes after UEFA confirmed a major overhaul of their Champions League and Europa League rules - the changes coming into effect for the 2018/19 season.
England's top four teams will all now be guaranteed Champions League group stage spots with those in fifth and sixth directly qualifying for the groups of the Europa League.
Since the European competition's re-brand in 1992, only the English top-flight's top three teams were guaranteed a spot in the Champions League proper.
The team that finished fourth have had to navigate the final round of qualifying, with Liverpool having to beat Hoffenheim in a two-legged play-off earlier this season.
But all of the top-four will go straight into the groups as of next season. The team that finish fourth in 2017/18 will not have to go through qualifying, while those who finish fifth and sixth will also earn direct passage into the Europa League proper.
Before, only fifth place guaranteed a spot in the Europa League group stages.
And the Premier League aren't the only division to benefit from these changes, 26 teams now directly qualify instead of 22.
Four teams from England, Germany, Spain and Italy, plus the reigning champions of both European competitions, are assured of Champions League group stage places.
Russia and France's top two and the Portuguese, Ukrainian, Belgium and Turkish champions complete the set of those who qualify automatically.
Only a maximum of five teams from any one league can make the group stage of the prestigious tournament.
Two teams from the Premier League, Bundesliga, La Liga, Serie A and Ligue 1 qualify directly for the Europa League group stages.
Another major change means matches will no longer kick off at the traditional 7.45pm (GMT/BST) start time.
Instead, games will get underway at either 5.55pm or 8pm, as they do already in the Europa League.
Elsewhere, teams who are eliminated from Champions League qualifying will be given the chance to reach the Europa League proper.
Only six teams will reach the tournament via this route, four less than under the current rules.
The Europa League, meanwhile, will see 17 teams qualify through their league position and 21 via the qualifying route.
This season's Champions League final is at Atletico Madrid's Wanda Metropolitano with the Europa League equivalent in Baku, Azerbaijan at the Olympic Stadium - where Chelsea thrashed Qarabag 4-0 in October.
Wanda Metropolitano: Home of Atletico Madrid and venue for the 2018-19 Champions League final
The Champions League changes are a huge boost to the Premier League
2018-19 Champions League key dates
30 August: Champions League group stage draw
18/19 September: Group stage, match-day one
11/12 December: Group stage, match-day six
17 December: Champions League Round of 16 draw
12/13/19/20 February: Round of 16, first leg
5/6/12/13 March: Round of 16, second leg
15 March: Champions League quarter-finals draw
9/10 April: Quarter-finals, first leg
16/17 April: Quarter-finals, second leg
19 April: Champions League semi-final draw
30 April/1 May: Semi-finals, first leg
7/8 May: Semi-finals, second leg
Saturday 1 June: Champions League final
The UEFA Europa League will also see a number of changes
2018-19 Europa League key dates
31 August: Europa League group stage draw
20 September: Group stage, match-day one
13 December: Group stage, match-day six
17 December: Europa League Round of 32 draw
14 February: Round of 32, first leg
21 February: Round of 32, second leg
22 February: Europa League Round of 16 draw
7 March: Round of 16, first leg
14 March: Round of 16, second leg
15 March: Europa League quarter-finals draw
11 April: Quarter-finals, first leg
18 April: Quarter-finals, second leg
19 April: Europa League semi-finals draw
2 May: Semi-finals, first leg
9 May: Semi-finals, second leg
Wednesday 29 May: Europa League final