The UEFA Champions League, the pinnacle of European club football, is set to undergo a significant transformation with the introduction of a new format for the 2024-25 season. The draw for the revamped competition will take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 24th, and it promises to be a captivating event.
The most notable change is the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 36 teams. This will provide an additional berth for the fifth-ranked European league, as determined by UEFA’s coefficient rankings. As a result, Ligue 1 will now have three automatic qualifiers, joining the likes of the Premier League, La Liga, and Serie A.
The new format will see the 36 clubs divided into one single league, known as the “Swiss system.” Each team will play eight matches, one against each of their eight opponents. This will result in a total of 114 group stage games, up from 96 in the previous format.
To ensure fairness, the teams will be seeded into four pots of nine based on their UEFA coefficients. Each team will face two opponents from each pot, one at home and one away. Additionally, no team will be drawn against another club from the same domestic league, and each club can only face a maximum of two teams from any one country.
The top 16 teams in the league phase will automatically qualify for the round of 16. The remaining eight teams, finishing from ninth to 24th, will enter a playoff round. These teams will be paired off in two-legged knockout ties, with the winners advancing to the round of 16.
The playoff ties will also be seeded, with the higher-ranked teams facing the lower-ranked teams. This will ensure that the most competitive matches are played in the later stages of the competition.
The new format is designed to increase the number of high-quality matches and provide more opportunities for teams from smaller leagues to compete at the highest level. It is also expected to generate additional revenue for UEFA and the participating clubs.
