New Champions League format explained

An estimated 700million viewers around the globe tuned in for the showpiece final in 2022. In the European game, this is the trophy each powerhouse is desperate to lift come the end of the season.

However, despite the popularity of the current competition, the Champions League format will appear differently for the 2024/25 campaign. This article will explain all and let you know exactly what to expect.

What was the Champions League format last season?

The Champions League format in recent times has featured 32 sides, split into eight groups of four from A to H. The four teams would play each other twice, once at home and once away. The two teams who finished top of the group would reach the Last 16 of the tournament while the sides in third and fourth would be eliminated.

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When it came to the Last 16, the eight group winners would be kept apart meaning each side that topped a group would face a runner-up. However, two teams who had played each other in the group stage would not be allowed to face each other again.

From here, the draw would be conducted for the quarter-finals and semi-finals until only two teams are left to compete in the showpiece final. Though variations of the rule have changed over the years, most often teams from the same nation cannot face each other unless it is mathematically impossible to separate them.

This current format which came to an end at the conclusion of the 2023/24 campaign had been in place for 21 seasons, starting in 2003-04 which culminated in two surprise packages, Porto and Monaco, going head to head for glory in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

What does the new Champions League format look like?

As football continues to evolve, UEFA have looked at new ways to keep the Champions League fresh and therefore introduced a new format. With increased competition from gaming platforms, the best online casinos in Ireland and new film streaming services, football has to think of ways to appeal to different audiences.

So, how does this fresh format differ to the previous one? Well, for starters, there will be more teams with 36 clubs participating. What's more, the group stage will be no more and instead sides will compete in a new league phase. Instead of facing three sides twice, they will now play against eight different sides, with the fixture schedule compiling four home matches and four away games.

When it comes to deciding who will face who, clubs will be ranked across four seeding pots and each side will be drawn to play two opponents from each of the pots - totalling eight matches.

With a league of 36 teams, you are now probably wondering how will the knockout stages of the tournament be worked out and it's not as complicated as you might first imagine.

Ultimately the teams who finish in the top eight of the league will qualify for the last 16. The teams from ninth to 24th meanwhile, they will then compete in a knockout play-off across two legs for the chance to reach the next round. Any team who finishes 25th or lower will be out.

For the traditionalists, the Champions League then returns to its famous format and the sides will eliminate each other in the usual knockout style, from Last 16 through to quarters, semis and then the final.

What other changes are being implemented?

As a direct result of the format chance, the competition is increasing from a total of 125 matches to 189 - that means there will be 64 additional matches to enjoy. For each team that means a minimum of eight matches compared to the previous six and a maximum of 17 to lift the trophy compared to the 13 b3fore.

The Champions League has been played on Tuesday and Wednesdays for decades while the final has taken place on Saturday's since 2008. However now, during Champions League exclusive weeks when the Europa League and Conference League are not played, fans will also be able to tune into games on a Thursday.

Another change is the calendar - due to the additional games, the group phase of the Champions League will now be completed at the end of January as opposed to December.

How has the format changed over the years?

While the tournament has followed the same tried and tested formula for more than two decades before this season's switch, the Champions League has undergone several overhauls in the past. In fact, it hasn't always been known as the Champions League.

When the competition was formed way back in 1955, it was actually called the European Champion Clubs' Cup and was an invitational which saw only six sides take part.

It was in 1967 that the tournament grew to 32 teams and it was called the European Cup. There were four two-legged rounds with teams playing home and away leading up to a one-off final.

However, the rebrand came in 1992, the same year as the formation of the Premier League, English football's top division, and this is when the group stage was introduced in club football as had been seen in international tournaments like the World Cup and Euros.

Summing up

Overall, the reformatting of the Champions League will impress and appeal to some fans while others will prefer the old way.

However, UEFA will insist that in order for the beautiful game to keep appealing to the masses, it requires some sort of evolution which enhances the excitement and the drama from the first kick of the ball to the moment a star player is proudly lifting the European Cup.