New UEFA Champions League Format Explained: Europe's Top Tournament Will Look Very Different Next Season

Por um escritor misterioso

Last updated 16 novembro 2024

New UEFA Champions League Format Explained: Europe's Top Tournament Will Look Very Different Next Season

This is the last ever week of UEFA Champions League group stage soccer as we know it. Europe
This is the last ever week of UEFA Champions League group stage soccer as we know it. Europe's top club competition will feature a new format starting from next season. It will also include 36 teams, instead of 32. Rather than dividing 32 teams into eight groups of four, the 2024/25 group stage will be one giant 36-team league. That does not mean that each team will play 35 matches. Not quite. But there will be a lot more fixtures during the group stage, with teams playing eight games each, rather than the six that fans have become accustomed to. There will still be a group stage draw to decide who plays who. That draw will be seeded, using four different pots. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents from each pot - one home game and one away match. This means that for the first time in Champions League history, teams from Pot 1 will face each other during the group stage. So expect some heavyweight clashes earlier than usual. However, there is likely to be less jeopardy for the big hitters because the