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According to the new format, the teams will play eight matches in the new phase of the league
The Champions League draw was made this Thursday, and this season it will be in a completely different format. The 36 teams have learned the 8 opponents of the group stage, which reserves big confrontations this season from this stage.
Under the new format, the top eight teams in the group will automatically qualify for the last 16 stage, while the teams ranked ninth to 24th will battle it out in an extra round to joined qualified teams.
The teams from the 25th to the 36th place will be eliminated, without the possibility of qualifying for the Europa League.
From the 125 games in total that the old format had, now the spectacle of the Champions League will be multiplied to 225 games, that is, almost 100 more meetings to watch and enjoy.
Meanwhile, as it happens in the current format, the winner of the Champions League, but also that of the Europa League, will have guaranteed access to the next season of the Champions League.
How will the teams reach the Champions League knockout stage and will the format for the knockout stage change?
The results of each match will decide the overall standings in the new league, with three points for a win and one for a draw.
The top eight teams in the league will automatically qualify for the round of 16, while the teams finishing 9th to 24th will compete in a two-legged play-off stage to secure their way to in the last 16 of the competition. Teams finishing 25th or below will be eliminated, without access to the Europa League.
In the knockout stage, teams finishing 9th and 16th will be placed in the knockout stage play-off draw, meaning they will face a team ranked 17th to 24th. The eight teams that prevail in the knockout stage play-offs will then advance to the Round of 16, where they will each face one of the eight finalists.
From the round of 16 onwards, the competition will continue to follow its existing format of knockout rounds leading to the final held at a neutral venue selected by UEFA.
All pre-final matches will continue to be played in midweek, recognizing the importance of the domestic fixture calendar across Europe, with the final being played on Saturday.
Will the Europa League and Conference League formats also change from 2024-2025?
Yes. Similar format changes will also apply to the Europa League (eight matches and therefore eight different opponents in the league stage) and the Conference League, which will be called the UEFA Conference League from 2024-2025 (six match and therefore six different opponents in the league stage), with both competitions featuring 36 teams in the league stage.
What will the calendar look like for the new format of the three competitions?
Champions League and Europa League matches will be played between September and January, while Conference League matches will be played between September and December. Each of the three UEFA club competitions will have an exclusive match week, while the other two competitions will not be scheduled this week.
In standard weeks, Champions League matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Europa League and Conference League matches will be played on Thursdays. In the exclusive Champions League week, the Champions League matches will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In the exclusive week of the Europa League, the Europa League matches will take place on Wednesday and Thursday. In the exclusive Conference League week, Conference League games will be played on Thursday.
For the final matches of each of the competition league stages, all matches will be played simultaneously.
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This gives clubs the chance to test themselves against a wider range of opposition and increases the chance for fans to see the best teams go head-to-head more often and earlier in the competition. It will also result in more competitive fixtures for every club across the board.
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