The UEFA Champions League officially adopts a 36-team single-league format starting with the 2024/25 season, replacing the traditional 32-team group stage according to an announcement by UEFA. Approved unanimously on May 10, 2022, by the UEFA Executive Committee alongside the European Club Association, European Leagues, and national associations, the overhaul abolishes the classic four-team group structure in favor of a unified league table.
How the 2024/25 Champions League League Phase Works
Under the revised system detailed by UEFA, the competition expands from 32 to 36 participants, giving four additional clubs the chance to compete against Europe’s elite. Instead of playing three opponents home and away in a standard double-round-robin group, every team now plays eight matches against eight different opponents in the league phase. Half of those fixtures take place at home, and the other half are played away.
To determine these matchups, the 36 participating clubs are divided into four seeding pots. Each team is drawn to play two opponents from each pot, facing one team from each pot at home and one away. According to UEFA, this structure ensures that clubs test themselves against a broader range of opponents while raising the prospect of top teams clashing earlier in the competition.
Allocation of the Four Extra Champions League Spots
Qualification remains strictly open and tethered to domestic league performance combined with association club coefficients. UEFA outlines the distribution of the four new slots as follows:
- Slot one: Awarded to the club ranked third in the domestic championship of the association occupying fifth position in the access list, determined by the UEFA association club coefficient ranking.
- Slot two: Goes to a domestic champion by expanding the Champions path qualifying process from four to five participating clubs across four qualifying rounds.
- Slots three and four: Allocated to the associations with the best collective club performance during the previous season, calculated by dividing total coefficient points by the number of participating clubs from that association.
Background and Governance of the Reform
The structural overhaul builds on a decision made by UEFA on April 19, 2021, to introduce a modernised competition system. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin stated that the unanimous approval proves European football remains united behind open competitions based on sporting merit and the solidarity-based European sports model. The changes affect the entire calendar for European club competitions, establishing a denser and more competitive fixture list across the board.
Keep reading