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New Format for the Champions League from 2024:

For the 2024/25 season, the UEFA Champions League is set to undergo a significant reconfiguration. We'll outline the changes, what remains unchanged, its impact on fans, and how it affects other UEFA club competitions.

European football stands as one of the most successful and beloved sports globally, constantly evolving. Since its inception in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, the UEFA Champions League has continuously adapted to meet the evolving landscape of football.

The new format for the 2024/25 season aims to offer clubs, players, and fans the best possible package. The UEFA extensively consulted key stakeholders within the European football community in shaping this format. The final structure, access list, and fixture calendar were approved on May 10, 2022, following UEFA's decision on April 19, 2021, to introduce a new competition system.

"UEFA has clearly shown its respect for the fundamental values of sport and remains faithful to the principle of open competitions," said UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin. "I am delighted that this decision was unanimous among the UEFA Executive Committee, the European Club Association, European leagues, and associations. It signifies that European football is more united than ever."

What changes are coming in the 2024/25 Champions League format?

The most significant change, announced by the UEFA Executive Committee, involves the elimination of the current group stage featuring 32 teams. Presently, teams at the start of the Champions League season are divided into eight groups of four. From the 2024/25 season, there will be a league phase involving all 36 participating clubs. This change grants four additional teams the chance to compete among Europe's best groups. These 36 clubs will play in a single league, listed in a table format.

In the new format, groups will play eight games during the league phase. Instead of facing each of the other three opponents twice (home and away) as before, they will compete against eight different clubs. Each club will have four home and four away games. To determine the different opponents, groups will initially be divided into four separate pots. Each group will then face two teams from each pot, one at home and one away.

This modification challenges clubs against a wider array of opponents, providing fans more frequent encounters between top-tier teams right from the start of the competition. Additionally, it means more consequential matches for each club.

How will the four additional slots for the Champions League be allocated?

Qualification for the Champions League remains open and will continue to depend on how teams performed in the preceding season in their national league, combined with the position of associations in the club coefficient rankings. The basis for the access list remains the same as this season, but the four additional slots in 2024/25 will be allocated using the following criteria:

Slot 1: This slot goes to the club finishing third in the league of the fifth-ranked association in the access list, determined by UEFA's association coefficient ranking.

Slot 2: This slot goes to a national champion, increasing the number of clubs qualifying via the champions route from four to five. This qualification spans four rounds.

Slots 3 and 4: These slots go to the two associations with the best collective performance by their clubs in the previous season (i.e., the association club coefficient from the last season, calculated by dividing the sum of club coefficient points of each association's clubs by the number of participating clubs in that association). These two associations each secure a direct slot in the league phase ("slot for international performance") for the next-best club in the national league not already directly qualified for the league phase.

How will the groups progress to the knockout stage of the Champions League? Is there a change in the knockout stage format?

The results of all games will determine the league standings, with three points awarded for a win and one for a draw.

While the top eight teams directly qualify for the Round of 16, groups placed 9th to 24th will contest a playoff round with two legs to advance to the Round of 16. For the teams placed 25th and below, their European campaign ends, and they will not continue in the UEFA Europa League.

In the new format, with all groups placed in a single league, every group will have much at stake until the final matchday of the league phase.

In the knockout stage, teams placed 9th to 16th will be seeded for the playoff draw and will face groups placed 17th to 24th. Additionally, they will have home advantage in the return legs. The eight teams prevailing in the playoffs complete the Round of 16, where they will be drawn against one of the eight clubs directly qualified for the Round of 16 in the draw.

To strengthen the link between the league phase and the knockout stage and to offer more sporting incentives during the league phase, matchups in the knockout stage partly depend on the placement in the league phase. Furthermore, a draw will determine the path for the groups until the final.

From the Round of 16 onwards, the competition continues in the familiar format until the final, held at a neutral venue selected by UEFA.

All matches, except the final, will continue to take place during the week, acknowledging the significance of national competitions across Europe. The final will still be held on a Saturday.

Will this new format also apply to the Europa League and Europa Conference League from 2024/25?

Yes. Similar format changes will be applied to the UEFA Europa League (eight games against eight different opponents in the league phase) and the UEFA Europa Conference League (six games against six different opponents in the league phase). Additionally, the Europa Conference League will be renamed the UEFA Conference League from 2024/25. Both competitions will feature 36 teams in the league phase.

What will be the calendar like with the new format across the three competitions?

Champions League and Europa League matches will take place from September to January, while the Conference League will run from September to December. Each of the three UEFA club competitions will have an exclusive game week during which the other two competitions will not be scheduled.

On regular weeks, Champions League matches will be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, Europa League and Conference League matches on Thursdays. During the exclusive Champions League week, matches will be scheduled on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. During the exclusive Europa League week, matches will be on Wednesday and Thursday. And during the exclusive Conference League week, matches will take place on Thursday.

On the final matchday of each competition's league phase, all matches will be played simultaneously.

What does this new Champions League format mean for fans?

With the new league format, more European clubs will participate in each competition, offering fans not only more opportunities to witness top European clashes but also experiencing them earlier in the competition.

The new format will provide a more balanced competition among all groups, offering each group the chance to play against teams at their own competition level during the league phase.

Every match will count. The league format ensures that each result significantly impacts the table positions of all teams until the final matchday. Just one win more or less can determine whether a team automatically qualifies for the Round of 16, participates in the playoffs, or exits from European competition.

How will European football benefit from this new Champions League format?

The changes aim to secure a positive future for football across all levels and meet

the needs of all stakeholders. A clear and collective commitment to the values of open competition and merit-based principles across the continent also serves the purpose of sustaining national leagues. As explained earlier, the new framework for UEFA club competitions allows more clubs to participate, providing more coaches and players the opportunity to engage in critical matches on the European stage.

UEFA has also affirmed its commitment to financially support European football as a whole and will take steps to ensure financial support for clubs not participating in UEFA club competitions. This will reinforce the solid foundation upon which European football stands.

How has the Champions League evolved over the years?

Our timelines for the Champions League and Europa League provide detailed insights into how these competitions have evolved since the inception of the European Champion Clubs' Cup in 1955, covering each stage of development and transformation up to the present day.