What to know about the Super League, the proposed competition shaking European soccer

More than two years after a European Super League (ESL) proposal rocked the foundations of the soccer world, the ESL has found its way back to the forefront of the sport following a landmark ruling by the Court of Justice of the European Union (ECJ).

On Thursday, Europe's top court ruled that FIFA, the sport's international governing body, and UEFA, the continent's governing soccer body, acted contrary to EU competition law by blocking plans for a breakaway ESL.

That news was celebrated by Spanish soccer giant Real Madrid, which has been leading the fight to get the new competition off the ground.

"Today a Europe of freedoms has triumphed, and also football and its fans have triumphed," said club president Florentino Pérez. "We are facing a great opportunity to improve European club football."

The court's decision has resurrected the proposal many thought was long dead and buried — much to the dismay of fans who mightily protested against the league in 2021. Read on for a primer on this controversial topic.

The ESL is a proposed seasonal soccer competition for club teams in Europe. It was proposed on April 18, 2021, by a group of 12 of Europe's biggest and most storied teams from across England, Italy and Spain, including Real Madrid, Manchester United and Juventus.

At the time, the proposal was a 20-team elite soccer tournament that would have seen locked-in places for up to 15 of the founding clubs. It would have effectively replaced the Champions League, which is run by UEFA, as Europe's current top club competition.

In the Champions League, teams enter on merit, usually depending on their place in domestic leagues — and there are no guaranteed spots.

But that plan fell through almost instantly. The formation of the