Champions League new format explained: What changes in 2024-25?

The World of soccer was shocked in 2021 by the announcement of the European Super League. It was revealed that Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, Inter Milan, Juventus, AC Milan, Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, and Real Madrid would start their own breakaway competition.

However, due to fan protests and backlash in the media, the ESL fell apart after the English clubs announced they were to withdraw. Despite this, the threat of the ESL is still there and one way that UEFA is fighting it is by changing the Champions League format for next season.

What is the new format for the Champions League?

The number of teams in the Champions League will go up from 32 to 36 for the 2024-25 Champions League campaign.

These clubs will no longer play a group stage format but will all compete in a single league where each team will have eight games against different opposition.

The top eight teams will qualify directly for the Round of 16. If you finish ninth to 24th then you will go into a playoff round and the teams finishing 25th and lower will be eliminated.

The knockout stage will not change with teams playing two-legged home and away ties before a final at a neutral venue. The final in 2025 will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany.

Similar changes will be made to the Europa League and the Europa Conference League, with both competitions also to play 36 teams in a single division format.

Will these changes benefit the Champions League?

Teams will be granted more games, as they will be guaranteed eight matches which is two more than the existing format. The clubs will be pleased because they can earn more money from these added fixtures. However, players and coaches will not like that the soccer calendar is to become even more congested.

Mixing up the group stage format to a single division could be beneficial as teams will play different opposition. However, it remains to be seen if the changes will avoid the dead rubber games that existed at the end of the group stages. The new format is adding more teams but this could dilute the quality of the competition.

A statement from UEFA read, "The changes made are designed to secure the positive future of European football at every level and meet the evolving needs of all its stakeholders. Unequivocally confirming joint commitment to the principle of open competition and sporting merit across the continent, the common purpose has also been to sustain domestic leagues."

UEFA are making sure that everyone knows that the Champions League is THE European competition and that the closed-shop format of the ESL is wrong.