The revamped Champions League format for the 2024/25 season will feature 36 clubs in the main competition, up from the previous 32.
Ahead of the 2024/25 UEFA Champions League draw on Thursday in Monaco, AFP Sport outlines the changes to Europe’s top club tournament:
More Clubs, No More Group Stage
The new Champions League format will increase the number of participating clubs from 32 to 36. This expansion allows an additional place for the fifth-ranked European league in UEFA’s rankings, meaning Ligue 1 from France now has three automatic qualifiers. Additionally, two more spots are granted to the top two leagues with the highest coefficient from the previous UEFA season—this year, those leagues are Germany and Italy. The final extra slot is given to a national champion emerging from the qualifying rounds, concluding this week.
Under the previous format, since 2003, 32 clubs were divided into eight groups of four teams, with the top two from each group advancing to the round of 16. The revised format eliminates this group stage setup. Instead, all 36 teams will compete in a single league, following the ‘Swiss system,’ which is more commonly associated with chess tournaments.
Increased Number of Matches
Previously, teams played six group stage matches (home and away). Now, each club will compete in eight matches. The 36 teams are divided into four seeded pots of nine, with each team playing two opponents from each pot, one at home and one away.
This change, according to UEFA, enhances the likelihood of top teams facing each other more frequently and earlier in the competition—a response to the previous threat of a breakaway Super League. No team will face another from their domestic league, and each club will play a maximum of two teams from any single country.
Unlike before, when the group stage concluded in December, the new format extends into January, adding two extra matchdays. The total number of matches will increase from 96 in the old group stage to 144 in the new league phase.
New Knockout Round
In the revamped format, all 36 clubs are ranked in a single league table, with the top eight advancing directly to the round of 16. The knockout stage format remains unchanged from that point, but seeding will consider league phase positions.
A new playoff round is also introduced. Teams finishing between 9th and 24th in the league phase will enter a two-legged knockout tie to determine the remaining places in the last 16. These ties will be seeded based on league performance.
The bottom 12 teams in the league phase will be eliminated without the opportunity to drop into the Europa League, a shift from the previous structure.
