UEFA Champions League New Format Explained
The UEFA Champions League has evolved significantly since its inception in the 1955-56 season as the European Champion Clubs’ Cup to its current format.
Initially a six-team invitational, the tournament expanded and rebranded over the decades from the European Cup to the Champions League, with the most notable change in 1992 introducing the current group stage format.
Starting from the upcoming 2024/2025 season, the Champions League will undergo its most significant transformation since 1992. The new Champions League format marks a return to a league-based system, albeit with a modern twist to enhance competitiveness and commercial appeal.
This overhaul aims to introduce more teams, more matches, and increased opportunities for revenue. Equally as important for sports betting enthusiasts, it also more opportunities to wager on Europe’s premier club competition!
Here’s everything you need to know about the new UEFA Champions League format.
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110% Welcome Bonus Up to ₦50.000What is the new Champions League Format?
Traditionally, the Champions League featured 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.
From next season, however, this group stage will be replaced by an expanded single league comprising 36 clubs.
Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents, split evenly between home and away games.
This change in the new Champions League format increases the number of matches from a minimum of six to eight per team from next season.
The fixtures will be set by ranking the teams into four seeding pots. Each team will be assigned two opponents from each pot against whom they will play one match at home, and one away.
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Bet and Get ₦1.000.000 in free betsHow will the Playoffs and Knockout Stages Work?
Under the new Champions League format, the top eight teams from the league phase will automatically qualify for the last 16.
Teams finishing between ninth and 24th will enter a two-legged knockout playoff to determine who joins the top eight in the round of 16.
Teams ranked 25th and below will be eliminated from European competition entirely, with no transfer to the Europa League.
The knockout stages will retain their traditional two-legged format.
Notably, the route to the final will become more transparent, resembling the draw system of a tennis tournament.
This new structure ensures that the top two teams from the league phase are placed on opposite sides of the draw, preventing them from meeting until the final.
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The new Champions League format will see a significant increase in the total number of matches, from 125 to 189.
Clubs will now play a minimum of eight and up to 17 matches if they progress to the final via the playoffs.
Standard matchdays remain on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, but during exclusive Champions League weeks, games will also be played on Thursdays.
The league phase will extend into January, contrasting with the current schedule that concludes in December.
Impact on Europe’s Top Leagues and Coefficient Places
The new Champions League format also means changes in how clubs qualify for the tournament.
The top four leagues based on UEFA’s coefficient rankings previously had four teams each qualifying automatically for the group stage.
However, the new format will now see the two countries whose clubs produced the best collective performance in UEFA tournaments in the previous season, each receive an additional Champions League spot, described by UEFA as ‘European Performance Spots’.
Therefore, Italy and Germany will have five teams in the Champions League group stage due to their clubs’ performances in UEFA tournaments last season.
For Premier League teams, the qualification process remains straightforward: the top four teams from last season secure Champions League spots, while the fifth-placed team enters the Europa League.
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Welcome Bonus Up to ₦200.000Which clubs qualified for the 2024/2025 Champions League group stages?
The following teams have qualified for the Champions League group stage so far:
- England: Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa
- Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atletico Madrid
- Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Juventus, Atalanta, Bologna
- Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dormund
- France: Paris St-Germain, Monaco, Brest
- Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord
- Portugal: Sporting Lisbon, Benfica
- Belgium: Brugge
- Scotland: Celtic
- Austria: Sturm Graz
- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk
Two additional spots will be allocated based on European Performance criteria. Meanwhile, the remaining seven positions will be decided through the Champions League qualifying rounds.
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Give a boost to your next sports betAre the Europa League and Europa Conference League going to change too?
Similarly, the Europa League and the newly rebranded UEFA Conference League will adopt comparable formats to the UEFA Champions League.
Both competitions will feature 36 teams in their league phases, with the Europa League mirroring the Champions League’s structure.
However, the Conference League will involve six matches against six different opponents during the group stage.
