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The Champions League format has been revised from the start of the 2024-25 season. Those used to the good old group stage, followed by knockouts round, might find the new model a little confusing at first.
Soccer fans all over the world will find there have been significant changes to the early stages as the top teams battle for the continent’s most coveted trophy.
Previously, the Champions League schedule saw eight groups in which four teams played each other home and away, with the top two progressing to the knockout stages.
Why has the Champions League format been changed? The main aim is to ensure more clashes between the bigger teams earlier in the competition.
Virtually every game should now carry plenty of importance for the teams involved, instead of a few dead rubbers at the end of the campaign.
New Champions League Format
The aim of the Champions League format remains the same – to identify Europe’s top club side. But the way the teams qualify for the knockout stages has changed significantly.
- There are now 36 clubs taking part, up from 32.
- All 36 now compete in a single league.
- Teams are divided into four seeding pots of nine clubs each.
- In the Champions League draw, each team is handed eight fixtures – four at home and four away – against eight different clubs, two from each pot.
- There will be 18 matches each game week in search of Champions League prize money and points.
- Fixtures are scheduled for Tuesday, Wednesday, and sometimes Thursday evenings.
Champions League Knockout Rounds
- The top eight teams in the Champions League standings will advance automatically to the knockout stage.
- The next 16 finishers, placed between ninth and 24th, will compete in a two-legged knockout play-off to claim the other eight spaces there.
From that point onwards, the Champions League format is the same as it was in previous seasons, with teams meeting in knockout play before the finalists are identified.
The main consequence of the changes to the Champions League schedule is that the number of games has increased substantially. In previous seasons, there were a total of 125 Champions League matches; from 2024-25 onwards, there will be 189.
Bayern Munich is one of the favorites to win the 2024-25 crown at the best Champions League betting sites, thanks to the final being held at their home stadium.
How was the Champions League Draw Done?
The draw for the 2024-25 Champions League schedule took place in Monaco on August 29.
The 36 qualifiers were placed into four pots of nine teams according to their seedings. The first set of Champions League matches decided were for the elite clubs in pot one.
It immediately became clear that, as expected, there would be more clashes between teams with illustrious European histories in the early stages of this season’s Champions League schedule.
Liverpool, for instance, were paired with both AC Milan and Real Madrid, two teams they have met in past Champions League finals. The Merseyside club would be unlikely to face both these teams in the previous iteration of the group stage.
Once those fixtures were decided, fixtures for the teams in pots two, three, and four were decided.
Each club will play a home and away fixture against teams from each pot, giving a total of eight games against eight different opponents – a big departure from the previous Champions League group stage format.
One restriction was that teams could not be drawn against opposition from their own domestic league.
Champions League Group Stage
Fans of top European soccer action will find plenty to enjoy with the new Champions League format.
Every team in the 36-strong league will play eight matches. That means more games and more opportunities to bet on the Champions League.
Whereas in previous seasons, the Champions League group stage was concluded before Christmas, the fixtures will now run into January. The climax will be a mega matchday eight, with all 36 teams in action, on Wednesday, January 29, 2025.
You can find the full Champions League schedule of matchday fixtures here.
Impact of the New Champions League Format
What difference will the revamped Champions League schedule have on the competition? Indeed, will it have any impact at all?
There are several ways in which you might sense a different flavor to the early stages of Europe’s top club soccer competition from this season onwards.
More Elite Clashes
One of the criticisms leveled at the previous Champions League format was that it kept the most valuable soccer clubs largely apart until after Christmas. You had to wait until the knockout stages before seeing the genuine blockbuster fixtures.
Now, with the Champions League draw pitting clubs seeded in pot one against each other, we will see some big-name clashes throughout the group stage matchdays.
Smaller Teams May Struggle
Under the previous Champions League format, it was possible for some of the lesser lights to make it to the knockout stage. Pull off an unlikely early win, grab some draws, and you might just make the last 16.
With each team playing eight games rather than six, however, it’s more likely that the consistently more monied sides will rise to the higher levels of the Champions League standings.
It can be argued this is the European Super League, just by a different name.
Many of the best paid soccer players in European football will still dominate matchups against relative ‘minnows’.
Increased Prize Money
More games means more broadcast revenue. The Champions League is already the world’s most lucrative soccer competition, and the huge increase in the number of games is being matched by even more eye-watering sums being available to teams who participate.
The cash on offer will pale in comparison to Premier League prize money, with Europe’s elite set to get richer.
Fewer Non-Events
In previous seasons, it was not uncommon for the top one or two placings in a group to be decided with one or two games still to be played.
That made for some drab spectacles played out between teams who already knew their fate.
Now, with all 36 teams in the same league, it’s likely that the Champions League standings will carry plenty of interest until the last ball of the group stage is kicked.
Super-Resistant
Despite the powerful negative reaction of fans across the continent of a European Super League in 2021, there are still plenty of clubs and administrators who quietly dream of such a competition launching one day.
But, the regularity with which leading European teams will face off in the new Champions League schedule may just sabotage any hopes of a Super League happening any time soon.
Champions League New Format: Verdict
Europe’s top soccer tournament always serves up magnificent entertainment – and fans’ attention will no doubt be captured by the new Champions League format.
The presence of every team in one league means there is the potential for huge clubs to get matched against each other.
Cynics will claim that this is a European Super League by stealth, but enough of the old Champions League format remains in place to keep old-school fans happy.
