The UEFA Champions League returns with a new format
Photo: AP
KEY POINTS
- UEFA Champions League to have new format in 2024-25
- 36 teams will participate in the first round
- 24 teams will qualify for the playoffs.
A new season of the UEFA Champions League (University of California, Las Vegas) will kick off tonight (September 17) with 36 teams competing in the league phase with the aim of achieving ultimate glory. However, this time the competition returns with a completely new format with major changes to how the first round works.
First of all, the most important club competition in European football has been expanded to 36 teams. Before this season, 32 teams participated in the group stage.
What is the new UEFA Champions League format and what has changed?
The biggest change comes in the group stage, rather than the Swiss league stage, with the 36 teams competing in a league rather than in groups of four. Each team will now play eight games in the first round instead of six, with four home games and four away games.
In addition, no team will face each other more than once in the first round. Each club will face a different opponent in its eight matches. The draw was determined by special artificial intelligence (AI) software in which all teams were assigned eight different opponents.
The teams were placed together in four pots of eight each according to the UEFA coefficient. In the draw, each team was allocated two teams from each pot and all teams played one of them at home and one away.
Another big change is that matches will now be played on Thursdays in the Champions League and not just reserved for Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
Who will qualify?
Instead of 16 teams, the new format ensures that a total of 24 teams will qualify for the knockout stages. After the league phase is over, the top 8 teams in the standings will directly qualify for the round of 16. Meanwhile, the teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth will qualify for a preliminary knockout round. The 16 teams will face each other in a two-legged knockout match, with the eight winners securing a place in the pre-quarter-final round.
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