The new season of the prestigious UEFA Champions League format is set to start in September and the best clubs from all around Europe will fight it out to claim the European club football’s ultimate prize.
The Champions League has a history of continuously evolving to increase its appeal and keep pace with the changes in the game. The competition is set to undergo changes this season with 36 clubs participating instead of the usual 32.
New Format Explained
From the 2024-25 season onwards, there will no longer be the traditional group stage to start the main tournament marking the end of an era. Instead, all 36 teams will participate in a league-like format. Each club will play against 8 different opponents which will be determined by the Champions League draw containing four seeding pots. From the eight matches, each team will play four of those opponents at home and four away.
After the end of the league stage, the top 8 teams will automatically qualify for the Round of 16 stage. The teams from 9th position to 24 position will play a two-legged playoff tie to complete the Round of 16 pot. Clubs from 9th to 16th will be seeded meaning that they will have the luxury of playing the 2nd leg of the playoff at home.
Teams that finish 25th and lower will be eliminated from the competition. Also, none of these teams will secure a passage to the UEFA Europa League.
From the Round of 16 stage, the competition will continue in the usual format of a two-legged knockout tie until the final which will be a one-off match at a neutral venue.
How has the Champions League evolved over the years?
The top tier of European football, currently known as the Champions League has undergone several changes in its format since it started in 1955 as the European Cup. In the European Cup, the competition only featured the winners of the European domestic leagues and was dominated by Real Madrid.
The competition underwent significant changes from the 1992-1993 season and was rebranded as the UEFA Champions League. The biggest change during this period was the introduction of a group stage. 8 teams were divided into 2 groups of 4 and each group’s winner met in the tournament’s final.
In 1997, the Champions League was further broadened and saw 24 teams participate, divided into six groups of four. In 2003, 32 teams started to participate, divided into eight groups of four, with the top two teams advancing to the knockout stage. This format ran until the end of last season.
Changes to the Europa League & Conference League
Similar changes will undergo in the Europa League with 36 teams participating in a league format. Top 8 teams will qualify directly into the knockouts with teams from 9th to 24th having to play a playoff tie to book their place in the Round of 16.
In the Conference league, the 36 teams will participate in the league format but each team will have to play only 6 matches with 3 at home and 3 away with the top 8 qualifying directly for the knockout stage.
Another major change in all three European competitions from this season is that each competition will have its own exclusive game with matches of that particular competition played on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays with the other two competitions not scheduled for that week.
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Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.
