UEFA Explains New Champions League Format Against Next Season

The UEFA Champions League said it will from next season undergo introduce new and complex change than the current template.

Currently, there are 32 clubs in the group phase, split into eight groups, with the clubs in each pool playing each other home and away.

The prevailing system also has the first two teams from each group advance to the round of 16, while the third teams drop down to the Europa League and the teams in bottom spot are eliminated.

UEFA said the proposed format which begins next season will however be quite different from the current template.

According to UEFA’s breakdown of the new system on Monday, 36 teams will begin the ‘league phase’ from next season and all the 36 teams will be in one league.

Under the new format, the teams will play eight matches in the new league phase (former group stage).

UEFA added that the teams will no longer play three opponents twice – home and away, but will instead face fixtures against eight different teams, playing four of those matches at home and four of them away.

As such, to determine the eight different opponents, UEFA said the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots.

Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match against a team from each pot at home, and one away.

At the end of the league phase, the top eight teams will proceed to the round of 16.

It further noted that to complete the teams for the round of 16, the sides finishing 9th to 24th positions will go into a play-off round, where eight of them will advance to join the top eight.

The 12 teams finishing in 25th to 36th after the league phase will then be eliminated.

Despite the criticism of this system, especially as it adds more matches to an already packed calendar, UEFA claims that it ‘based its design on extensive consultations with key stakeholders in the European football community’.

“UEFA has clearly shown that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model.

“I am really pleased that it was a unanimous decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, with the European Club Association, European Leagues and national associations all agreeing with the proposal made. Another proof that European football is more united than ever,” the UEFA President, Aleksander Čeferin said.

UEFA has changed the formats of its competitions over the years, but said the Europa and Conference Leagues will also undergo changes from next season.