UEFA based its design on extensive consultations with key stakeholders in the European football community to ensure the new 2024/25 format will deliver the best for clubs, players and fans. From the 2024/25 season, 36 clubs will participate in the Champions League 1st phase previously known as the group stage now known as the league phase, giving four more sides the opportunity to compete against the best clubs in Europe. Those 36 clubs will participate in a single league competition in which all 36 competing clubs are ranked together.
Under the new format, teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (former group stage). They will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away – but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing half of those matches at home and half of them away. To determine the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away.
This allows clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents and raises the prospect for fans of seeing the top teams go head-to-head more often and earlier in the competition. It will also result in more competitive matches for every club across the board.
How will teams reach the Champions League knockout phase, and will there be any changes to the format for the knockout phase?
The rankings in the new league will be determined by the results of each match. A win will earn a team three points, and a draw will earn one point. The top eight teams will automatically qualify for the round of 16. Teams finishing 9th to 24th place will have to compete in a two-legged knock-out phase play-off to secure their path to the last 16. Teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not have access to the UEFA Europa League.
The new format, with all teams ranked together in a single league, will result in more competitive matches throughout the league phase. In the knockout phase, teams finishing between 9th and 16th will be seeded in the play-off draw. They will face a team placed 17th to 24th, with the return leg at home. The eight clubs winning the play-offs will advance to the round of 16, where they will each play one of the top-eight finishers, who will be seeded in the round of 16.
In order to create a stronger connection between the league and knockout phases, and to add more sporting motivation during the league phase, the pairings for the knockout phase will be influenced by the rankings from the league phase. A draw will determine the route for teams to reach the final. From the round of 16 onwards, the competition will continue to follow its existing format of knockout rounds leading to the final staged at a neutral venue selected by UEFA. All games before the final will continue to be played during the week, acknowledging the significance of the domestic calendar of games throughout Europe. The final will still be held on a Saturday.
Will the Europa League and Europa Conference League formats change from 2024/25 too?
The format changes will also be implemented in the UEFA Europa League, resulting in eight matches and eight different opponents in the league phase and UEFA Europa Conference League, which will be called the UEFA Conference League as of 2024/25 (six matches and therefore six different opponents in the league phase), with both competitions also featuring 36 teams in the league phase.
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