Champions League football is back again, but in a different format for the group stage fixture and rules. There has been a drastic change ahead of the 2024/25 Champions League season compared to what we have seen for the past 21 years. let’s talk about 2024/25 Champions League new format.
To so many fans, the revamp is complex while to many others it is the best way to get the best out of the competition.
What is the new format in Champions League
For the past 21 years we have seen 32 teams qualify for the Champions league competition, but with the new format, 36 teams qualified.
In the past the 32 teams were grouped into eight groups with four different teams in each group. The top two teams make it through round 16 while the third team drops into UEFA Europa league and the fourth team is eliminated totally from the European competition.
With the new format, 36 teams will not be grouped as usual but arranged into eight phases called “pot”. Each team in every pot will play two different teams in each pot.
Each team will play eight games which is four at home and four away which is quite different from the previous three home and away games in the group stage.
One golden rule in the new format is no club can play another club from the same league just as we have seen Real Madrid play against Barcelona at group stage.
No team can also play more than two teams from the same league, which means Barcelona cannot play against Arsenal, Manchester City and also Aston Villa.
This then means the total number of games to be played in 2024/25 Champions League has increased from 125 to 189.
How does the new Champions league draw work
The group stage will be played more like a league, the first eight teams automatically qualify to the round 16. While teams from ninth position to 24 will compete in a two leg play off to qualify for round 16.
Teams from 25th position to 36 will be eliminated from the competition, unlike before where they will be dropped to play other competitions like the UEFA Europa/ UEFA Conference.
With the new format, it means the Champions League competition will be played into January summer instead of December.
What are the teams in the Champions League Pot
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona
Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan.
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Dinamo Zagreb, Red Bull Salzburg, Lille, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys, Celtic.
Pot 4: Slovan Bratislava, Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest.
When is Champions League Draw Date
2024/25 champions league fixture will be drawn on Saturday August 31st in Monaco. UEFA has concluded the draw will be made by a computer software.
How Many teams qualified for 2024/25 Champions League
For the past 21 years in the champions league, 32 teams always qualify for the group stage. But we will be seeing 36 teams in the 2024/25 champions league due to the new champions league format.
What do you think about the new UEFA Champions League new format ahead of the 2024/25 campaign? drop your opinion below.
