New UEFA Champions League format with 36-teams explained

FILE PHOTO: The Champions League trophy. | Photo Credit: Reuters

After a gap of more than a month, the 2023-24 UEFA Champions League (UCL) is set to be the plat du jour of footballing action this week as the European elite are set to battle it out in the quarterfinal of the continental football extravaganza.

While the plots and subplots in these four double-legged ties will undeniably attract eyeballs, the performances of the clubs during the business end of the tournament have an added weightage this time. 

UEFA is set to put in motion the new format of the Champions League from next season. A multitude of constituents, including the final domestic league position, club coefficients and association club coefficients are involved in deciding the participating clubs, inducing quite the confusion.

Let’s break down the new format of the UEFA Champions League and ascertain which are the clubs in prime position to make it to the league stage next year. 

The UEFA Champions League is expanding into a 36-team tournament from 2024/25, meaning four new teams will be included in the novel league phase. 

UEFA has done away with the eight-groups philosophy, with all teams set to be ranked in a single table. Each team will play eight matches in the league stage – four at home and four away. 

Participating teams will be split into four seeding pots, a team playing two opponents from each pot, one match against a team from each pot at home, and similarly, one away.

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Similar changes will be effected in the Europa League (UEL) and Europa Conference League (UECL) as well, with teams facing eight different opponents in the UEL while the UECL will see six matches and hence six different adversaries. 

Similar to the current season, 32 teams will qualify for the league phase based on their domestic finish the previous season and their position in the association club coefficient.

Currently, the top two countries in the ranking are Italy and Germany, with England following closely behind in third. The ranking will be updated based on the performances of the clubs in the playoff rounds of the current edition of the UCL, UEL and UECL.

As things stand, Roma and Borussia Dortmund will be two teams making it to the league stage next season. But with England having five representatives in European competition currently, it is an odds-on favourite to usurp Germany (3 representatives) and move into the top two.

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Ironically. Tottenham Hotspur, currently occupying fifth place in the Premier League, will be counting on rivals Arsenal, West Ham and Manchester City to make it deep into this year’s European competition. 

The top eight teams at the end of the league phase will automatically qualify for the round of 16. Teams ranked from nine to 24 will play a two-legged playoff round to decide the next set of eight teams qualifying further into the tournament.

The teams placed 9-16 will have the added advantage of playing the return leg of the playoff round at home. Teams that finish 25th or below will be eliminated from all European competition. All rounds beyond the round of 16 will follow the same format as the existing tournament. 

The new format provides teams low in the coefficient pecking order, a fairer chance, compared to the current iteration of the tournament. Teams that punch above their weight in the league phase will stand a chance to progress deep into the tournament with the jeopardy of playoff games also coming into play.

The competition that each club faces also becomes wider and with the top seeds playing two more teams from the same pot, more blockbuster clashes are in store for the football faithful.