The Premier League have confirmed the reformatting of the PL2, with fixtures soon to be announced and Arsenal set to be a Pot 1 team.

The Premier League have confirmed changes to the Premier League 2 for the 2023/24 campaign, ahead of the fixture list announcement on July 31st.

The u21 competition previously used a two-tier system, with promotion and relegation between the leagues.

But the new format uses the Swiss model, involving one league of 26 teams where each team plays 20 matches based on their seeding, which is determined by performance over time.

An initial 20-game regular season will be followed by a single elimination play-off competition for the top-16 teams at the end, and the top 12 teams will be invited to take part in the next season’s Premier League International Cup.

The 26 teams involved will be divided into five pots, and fixtures will be based on a club’s position in those pots.

Teams will play each club in their own pot once, as well as three to five teams in all the other pots, either home or away.

YouthHawk have posted the Premier League 2 seedings, based on league performance over the past three years, and Arsenal rank fourth.

It’s not clear precisely how many teams will be in each pot, as 26 doesn’t exactly divide by five, but it’s evident that the Gunners will be in Pot 1.

The removal of relegation is touted as a potential positive for development, as it will allow struggling teams to focus more on what’s best for their players and less on grinding out results.

Arsenal were already in the top tier of the Premier League 2, along with Manchester City, Chelsea, Liverpool, and Manchester United, which has helped those five teams to the top of the seeding list.

By comparison, Tottenham Hotspur were relegated this season, and that has dropped them down to seventh seeding and a likely spot in Pot 2.