The proposal was raised during a meeting of Uefa’s club competitions committee (CCC) last month, where clubs suggested expanding the current 25-player limit. However, the idea has divided opinion among the 16 clubs represented on the committee, with some strongly opposing the change.

According to the Guardian, no decision was made following the discussion, though the issue is expected to be revisited. The proposal was also raised at Uefa’s national team competitions committee, where coaches were reportedly split on whether expanding squad sizes would benefit the game.

Supporters of the move say larger squads would allow coaches to rotate players more effectively and maintain quality during matches by offering stronger options from the bench.

Critics warn that increasing squad sizes could allow elite clubs to stockpile more top talent, potentially widening the gap between Europe’s biggest teams and the rest. They argue that the pool of elite players is limited, and larger squads could further concentrate talent at the top level.

The debate comes amid wider concerns about the balance of European football. Smaller domestic leagues fear they could lose more of their best players to top clubs, accelerating the concentration of talent and revenue in competitions such as the Premier League and the Champions League.

Charlie Marshall, chief executive of European Football Clubs, told the Financial Times Business of Football summit that while the football pyramid should be protected through financial redistribution, the needs of the biggest clubs should still drive the game. “The layers of a pyramid need to be close to each other,” he said, “but there is a pyramid and there is therefore a hierarchy.”