UEFA has unveiled a new format for the Champions League, set to be implemented from the 2024-25 season.
The European football governing body emphasized that the revised structure places a greater emphasis on selection based on “merit,” ensuring that top teams face each other more frequently.
In a statement published on UEFA’s website on Monday, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin expressed his satisfaction with the unanimous decision of the UEFA Executive Committee.
He noted that the European Club Association, European Leagues, and national associations all supported the proposal, further demonstrating the unity within European football.
Key changes in the new format include:
The current Champions League group stage features 32 teams divided into eight groups of four.
Starting in the 2024/25 season, the league phase (formerly known as the group stage) will feature 36 teams, allowing four additional clubs to compete against Europe’s elite.
In this unified league format, all 36 teams will be ranked together, with each team playing eight matches against eight different opponents, half of which will be at home and the other half away.
Teams will be drawn to face two opponents from each of the four seeding pots, ensuring a diverse set of matches.
Regarding the allocation of the four additional spots in the Champions League league phase:
1. The first slot will be awarded to the third-placed team in the league of the association ranked fifth in UEFA’s association club coefficient rankings.
2. The second slot will go to a domestic champion, expanding the number of clubs qualifying through the Champions Path from four to five.
3. The third and fourth slots will be given to the associations with the best overall performance by their clubs in the previous season, each earning an automatic place in the league phase for the next-best club in their domestic league that hasn’t already qualified.
For progression to the knockout phase:
– Teams will earn points as usual (three points for a win, one for a draw) to determine their final ranking.
– The top eight teams will automatically advance to the round of 16.
– Teams ranked 9th to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off to secure their place in the last 16.
– Teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated without a chance to move into the UEFA Europa League.
The new structure, which ranks all teams in a single league, increases the competitive stakes until the final match of the league phase.
The knockout phase will proceed similarly to the current format, with the top-eight finishers facing the winners of the knockout play-offs.
The matchups in the knockout stages will be influenced by the teams’ rankings from the league phase, with the competition continuing through the traditional knockout rounds until the final at a neutral venue.
Matches before the final will still be held midweek, considering the domestic schedules across Europe, with the final taking place on a Saturday.
The UEFA Europa League and UEFA Europa Conference League will also undergo changes starting from the 2024/25 season:
– The UEFA Europa League will feature eight matches against eight different opponents in the league phase, while the UEFA Europa Conference League (rebranded as the UEFA Conference League) will consist of six matches against six different opponents.
– Both competitions will expand to 36 teams in the league phase.
The calendar for these competitions will run from September to January for the Champions League and Europa League, while the Europa Conference League will hold matches from September to December.
Each competition will have exclusive match weeks without overlap from the other two tournaments.
During regular weeks, Champions League matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, while Europa League and Europa Conference League matches will take place on Thursdays.
On special match weeks, Champions League games will occur from Tuesday to Thursday, Europa League matches on Wednesday and Thursday, and Europa Conference League games on Thursday.
All matches on the final matchday of each league phase will kick off simultaneously.
