How Does the New Champions League Format Work?
The new Champions League format will drastically change our experience of the world's most prestigious club tournament, which had not seen such profound changes in two decades. Here are the details of the changes:
1. Expansion of Teams: The competition will expand from 32 to 36 teams. This will allow more European clubs to participate, increasing opportunities for teams from less represented leagues to compete in the main phase.
2. League Phase: The traditional group stage will be removed and replaced with a league phase. All teams will compete in a common ranking and play eight matches against different opponents selected by a computerized draw. This phase is based on the "Swiss format," where each team faces eight different opponents, two from each pot.
3. Direct Elimination: The top eight teams from the league phase will advance directly to the Round of 16. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will play a playoff round to determine who advances to the Round of 16. Teams finishing from 25th place onwards will be eliminated from the competition.
4. Calendar: Matches will continue to be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, with some additional dates on Thursdays. The league phase will run from September to February, followed by the traditional knockout stages.
5. Qualification and Allocation of Places: The qualification system has been designed to be more inclusive, allowing more teams from smaller leagues to compete. The four additional places will be allocated as follows:
- The third-placed team from the league in the fifth position of the UEFA ranking.
- An extra team from the Champions Route.
- Two teams from the leagues with the best performance in the previous season.
This new format aims not only to increase competitiveness but also to provide more standout matches from the early stages of the competition, offering fans more encounters between the best teams in Europe. UEFA has also emphasized its commitment to solidarity and sporting merit, ensuring that all qualified teams make it through their performance in national leagues.
