Welsh giants Swansea City and Cardiff City are in talks to potentially enter the Welsh League Cup with the carrot of qualification for Europe, according to the BBC.

 

Swansea and Cardiff both play in the English league system, which means their only route into Europe would be through a high enough placing in the Premier League, or the FA Cup or EFL Cup.

 

Talks have been held with the Welsh FA about entering the Welsh League Cup, which would offer another route into Europe.

 

 

If they went down that route then they would give up their ability to qualify for Europe through the English system.

 

Also involved in the talks are Wrexham and Newport County, with the Welsh FA believing that all four clubs being involved in the Welsh League Cup would be a huge boost.

 

 

A report has already been commissioned by Swansea, on behalf of the four clubs and the Welsh FA, which suggests that there would be a big financial boost and big improvements for Welsh football if the move were to come about.

 

Welsh league sides have fared poorly in UEFA competitions in recent years, which has done little to improve the country’s UEFA coefficient ranking.

 

 

Only the leagues of Andorra, Gibraltar, San Marino, Belarus and North Macedonia are currently ranked lower than the Welsh league in UEFA’s scale.

 

Elsewhere, Liechtenstein club FC Vaduz regularly qualify for Europe through the Liechtenstein Cup, despite playing the majority of their football in the Swiss league system.