The UEFA Champions League is set to embark on a new era with a revolutionary format change for the 2024-2025 season. The tournament will expand from 32 to 36 teams and introduce a ‘league phase’ to replace the traditional group stage, marking a significant shift in the competition’s structure.Under the new format, all 36 teams will be placed in a single table, with each club facing eight different opponents – four at home and four away. The top eight teams in the overall standings will qualify directly for the quarterfinals, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a new knockout round playoff for the remaining spots in the round of 16.The draw for the 2024-2025 season, scheduled for August 29, 2024, in Monaco, will utilize a computer-generated system to determine each team’s eight opponents. Teams will be divided into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficients, with each team drawn against two opponents from each pot.This new format aims to increase competition, excitement, and revenue for the tournament. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin stated, ‘The Champions League is the pinnacle of club football in Europe, and we are excited to see which teams will compete for the title’. The changes are expected to generate an estimated 4.4 billion euros in revenue per season for all European cup competitions.The participating teams have been finalized, with notable inclusions such as Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain in the top pot. The tournament will kick off in September 2024 and conclude with the final on May 31, 2025, at Munich’s Allianz Arena.As the football world prepares for this new chapter in Champions League history, fans and clubs alike are eager to see how the revised format will impact the dynamics of Europe’s premier club competition.
Key points
- UEFA Champions League expands to 36 teams for the 2024-2025 season.
- New ‘league phase’ replaces traditional group stage, with all teams in a single table.
- Top 8 teams qualify directly for quarterfinals, while teams ranked 9-24 enter playoffs.
- Computer-generated draw system to determine opponents from four coefficient-based pots.
- Changes aim to increase competition, excitement, and revenue for the tournament.
