Confused about the UEFA Champions League new format? – Here’s a comprehensive breakdown

Estimated reading time: 4 minutes

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League is back and have a new format, quite different from anything we’ve seen before. There are indeed some big changes.

Some changes are easy to understand, while others are a bit tricky. The new format might confuse us at first.

However, things will become clearer as we reach the knockout rounds in February. Let’s break it down so it’s easy to understand.

League phase

Instead of 32 teams in groups of four, there will now be one big league of 36 teams. This means all the teams will be in one giant group instead of smaller ones.

Each team will play eight matches in this big league. But instead of playing the same team twice, they will face eight different teams.

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They will play four matches at home and four matches away, making it more fun and varied. To choose these opponents, teams will be put into four different pots.

Each team will then play against two teams from each pot, one at home and one away. This new format will make the Champions League even more exciting!

Knockout round

In the league, each win gives a team three points, while a draw gives them one point. Teams will try hard to win to get the most points.

The top eight teams in the league will go straight to the round of 16. Teams that finish from 9th to 24th place will play extra games to try to reach the round of 16.

Teams that finish 25th or lower will be out of the tournament with no chance to play in the Europa League. So, it’s important to finish high in the league!

After the round of 16, the tournament will go back to the normal knockout games until the final. The final will be at a special stadium, and the winner will be the champion!

When will the matches be played?

The Champions League league stage matches will happen from September to January. Most of these games will be played on Tuesdays or Wednesdays.

But there will be one special week just for the Champions League. During that week, there will also be games on Thursday, with no Europa or Conference League matches.

For the last league stage games, all 18 matches will happen at the same time. This will make the final matchday really exciting for everyone!

Tags: UEFA Champions League, Champions League, league phase, #NewsRoundTheClock, #nrtcnewsnigeria, #nrtcnigeria, #nrtcnews, #nrtcsports, knockout round, 2024/25 Champions League.