UEFA Ends Group Stages, Announces Fresh Format
UEFA has unveiled the new format for the Champions League, set to take effect starting from the 2024-2025 season.
The announcement video from UEFA, as reported by Fabrizio Romano, outlines the upcoming changes in the competition format.
The upcoming format change in the Champions League, Europa League, and Europa Conference League will see a shift from the current 32-team group stage to a unified 36-team league phase.
Every team will face eight different opponents, with two from each of the four seeding pots, competing in four home games and four away games.
Teams ranked ninth through 24th will compete in a knockout playoff round to advance to the pre-quarterfinals with the top eight teams.
Teams that place between 25th and 36th are now eliminated directly from all competitions, unlike the previous system where third-placed group finishers would move to the lower European league’s preliminary playoff round.
