The Champions League format is changing this season. Here’s everything you need to know.
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How Will the New UEFA Champions League Format Work?
The UEFA Champions League, renowned as the pinnacle of European club football, is undergoing a significant transformation. The revamped format, set to debut in the 2024/25 season, promises to alter the dynamics of the competition, introducing a fresh and innovative structure.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has affirmed that the new format, unanimously approved by the organization’s executive committee, aims to enhance the competitive nature of the tournament. With a focus on “sporting merit,” the reimagined Champions League is designed to provide fans with a more exciting and high-stakes football experience from the very start.
New Structure of the Competition
Gone are the days of 32 teams competing in eight groups of four. The revamped format introduces a 36-team league phase. In this new arrangement, all teams will participate in a single league, playing eight matches against eight different opponents—four at home and four away.
The opponents for each team will be drawn from four seeded pots based on their rankings, with each club facing two teams from each pot. This change departs from the traditional group-stage setup, where teams played against three other teams within their group twice. The aim is to offer clubs a broader range of opponents and to increase the frequency of high-profile matches earlier in the competition.
UEFA anticipates that this new format will lead to more frequent clashes between top teams, thereby raising the overall quality and excitement of the matches.
Qualification for the Knockout Stages
In this revised format, the top eight teams in the league will automatically advance to the knockout stages. Teams ranked from ninth to 24th will face off in a two-legged play-off to secure their place in the last 16. This marks a departure from the previous format, where teams finishing outside the top 16 could still qualify for the Europa League. Under the new rules, teams that finish 25th or lower, as well as those who lose their play-off tie, will be eliminated from European competition.
The successful teams from the play-offs will then meet the top eight seeds in the first knockout round, leading up to the quarterfinals, semifinals, and ultimately, the final. The 2025 final is scheduled to take place at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.
Qualification Pathways
Teams will still qualify for the Champions League based on their domestic league performance from the previous season. The four additional teams in the competition will be allocated as follows: two teams will come from the top two countries in the UEFA coefficient rankings—currently Italy and Germany. Another team will qualify from the fifth-ranked association, which is presently France. The final spot will be awarded to a domestic champion, expanding the number of clubs qualifying via the Champions Path.
Changes to the Draw Process
The traditional method of drawing group-stage fixtures—using balls in bowls drawn by footballing alumni—will be replaced by a more streamlined approach. Given the expanded league phase, using nearly 1,000 balls and multiple bowls would have been impractical. Instead, UEFA will employ automated software to draw fixtures, ensuring a more efficient process.
All 36 teams will first have their ball numbers drawn manually. Then, the software will randomly assign eight opponents from four pots to each team, determining whether matches are home or away. The draw will start with Pot 1, which includes the reigning champion and the teams with the highest European coefficients, and will continue through Pot 2, 3, and 4.
UEFA assures that this technological approach will ensure complete randomness while adhering to draw guidelines, such as preventing teams from facing opponents from their own country and limiting the number of teams from any single country to two.
Impact on the Europa League and Conference League
The UEFA Europa League will adopt a similar format to the Champions League in the upcoming season. The competition will also feature a 36-team league phase. The UEFA Conference League, which will be rebranded as the UEFA Conference League, will see teams play six matches against six different opponents during its league phase, also with 36 participating teams.
Scheduling of Matches
The league phase for the Champions League and Europa League will run from September to January, with games scheduled midweek—on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, or Thursdays. The Conference League will see its initial stage held from September to December. Each competition will have its own dedicated match week.
This overhaul of the UEFA Champions League format is set to redefine the landscape of European club football, promising a more dynamic and engaging experience for fans across the continent.
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