by Aiden Daries
UEFA has announced changes to the Champions League that will be implemented in the 2024/25 season.
The number of teams will increase from the current 32 teams to 36 teams, with each one of those teams playing eight games over a ten-week period.
The four extra places will be awarded as follows: two out of the four teams will be awarded a place based primarily on the performance of a country’s clubs in Europe in the previous season.
Another place will be awarded to the third-placed league team in the country that is fifth in UEFA’s rankings. That team would then join in the third qualifying round.
A qualification stage, which is to be known as the ‘Champions Path’ will also come into existence in the 2024/25 season. This is the qualification stage for those teams that have won the league in their respective country who do not automatically qualify for the group stages. This makes up the four extra places that are available.
The speculated idea of teams qualifying based on their past performance and history in the competition has been scrapped.
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said, “We are convinced that the format chosen strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance and generate solid revenues that can be distributed to clubs, leagues, and into grassroots football across our continent while increasing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions."
Qualification into the UEFA Champions League will now be based purely on the club’s performance in the previous season, and not on their historical performances in the competition.
The current UEFA Champions League format includes eight groups, each containing four teams. Teams play six games (three away and three home games), and the top two qualify for the Round of 16 where they play a home and an away leg to determine who qualifies for the next stage in the competition.
The format for the 2024/25 season will see all 36 teams play in one league. There will be one league table and each team will play eight games (four home and four away games). The top eight teams will qualify for the next stage. The teams that sit in positions 9 to 24, will play a two-legged qualifying stage to get into the next round.
The adopted format will be implemented in both the UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League as of the 2024/25 season as well.
This new format that has been proposed and accepted will see a massive change in how the competition is played out, especially in the early stages.
The European Club Association’s (ECA) vice-chairman, Aki Riihilahti, commented on the new format by saying, “It adds value, and overall if you look at the total picture, it makes sense. So as the chief executive of a smaller country champion I was very okay with the whole thing.”
