The UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League have all been revamped for the 2024/25 season, featuring more teams, more matches, and a new ‘Swiss’ style format. Mp3bullet.ng shows how these changes will shape European competitions.
While change can often feel confusing and challenging, the minds behind this new structure for European football believe it will ultimately bring improvements.
So, how will the new Champions League format work? Mp3bullet takes a closer look at the updated system.
The first major change is the number of teams participating in the Champions League. For over 20 years, we’ve seen 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four. However, starting in the 2024/25 season, that number will increase to 36 teams.
The qualification process remains similar to recent years, with teams securing their spots based on their position in their domestic leagues. For example, the top four teams will automatically qualify for the Champions League.
As for the four additional spots, one will be awarded to the league ranked fifth in UEFA’s coefficient system, while another will go to an extra domestic league champion.
What is the new Champions League format?
| Old format | New format |
|---|---|
| 32-team group stage | 36-team league phase |
| Eight groups of four teams | Single league format |
| Six games vs three teams (three home, three away) | Eight games vs eight teams (four home, four away) |
| Top two in each group qualifies | Top eight qualify + winners of play-off |
The new Champions League format will no longer feature a 32-team group stage and a 36-team league phase.
Each of the 36 teams will play eight different teams, with four of those games played at home and four games played away. A seeding system was used in the draw to determine which teams played each other.
Normal rules apply in terms of points – three points for a win, one point for a draw and zero points for a loss.
Who goes through to the knockout stage?
- Top eight advance to last 16 round.
- Teams who finish 9th to 24th contest play-off.
- Winners of play-off play top eight in last 16 round.
- Format remains the same as old format from last 16 round on.
The top eight teams in the league phase progress directly to the last 16 stage of the knockout round.
The 16 teams that finish ninth to 24th in the league phase will compete in a knockout phase play-off. Those who finish ninth to 16th will be seeded for the draw, while the teams who finish 17th to 24th will be unseeded.
The eight winners of the knockout phase play-off round advance to the last 16, where they will play against the the top eight teams from the league phase.
From the last 16 stage onwards, the Champions League format remains the same as before, with quarter-finals and semi-finals followed by a final in a neutral venue.
To help you digest it a bit more, UEFA has put together a really simple explainer video here.
Do eliminated teams go into the Europa League?
No. Teams that finish 25th to 36th (the bottom 12) will be eliminated from the UEFA club competition for that season. There is no drop down into the Europa League, as happened in the previous format for third-place teams in the groups.