The new Champions League format promises almost everything that historic clubs expected from UEFA
GENEVA — The new Champions League format this season will see more teams playing more matches for more prize money.
On Thursday, UEFA will draw in Monaco the match schedule for the new single-ranked league phase which replaces the traditional group stage.
The first new Champions League format since 2003 promises almost everything Europe’s richest and most influential clubs have expected from UEFA.
There are four extra places in a 36-team roster; at least eight games each instead of six; Champions League matches scheduled for January for the first time; a prize money increase of at least 25% for a at least 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion).
There was also further evidence, during the UEFA European Championship this summer, that constant expansion international competitions is leaving players tired and unable to perform at your best all year round.
The new league phase of European club football’s flagship event will feature 144 matches in total, compared to 96 in last season’s group stage.
“The main objectives,” UEFA said, “are to improve competitive balance and sporting interest and, in doing so, to increase the number of meaningful matches – matches with something at stake for both teams – throughout the competition.”
In the eighth and final round, all 36 teams will face off on the same evening of January 29 to finalize the rankings that will determine which eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16 – and with which seeds in a tennis-like knockout bracket – as well as which 16 teams will advance to a new knockout round in February, and which 12 will be eliminated.
“We simulated that qualification should be possible with an average of 7.6 points, which means two wins and two draws,” said UEFA’s head of competition strategy Stephane Anselmo.
Money, mainly, although it is not the only reason.
For 32 years, the European Champions League has been the stage for the best football in the world, allowing UEFA to pay billions of euros in bonuses to the clubs that pay the highest salaries and transfer fees.
Yet influential officials in the European Club Association (ECA) grew tired of the group stage, finding it too repetitive and lacking in suspense. They wanted more matches against stronger opponents, more popular with broadcasters, viewers and new fans around the world. Their way of putting pressure on UEFA was to potentially launch their own breakaway competition.
The road to agreement on the format has been fraught with difficulties. A controversial first proposal in 2019, favouring historic clubs, was stopped by a backlash mid-table clubs and national leagues.
There was intense unrest triggered by the Super League launch fails in April 2021 by most of the the same club officials who negotiated the reform of the Champions League with UEFA.
Approval of the final format came in May 2022 — when Real Madrid, Barcelona and Juventus were excluded from the negotiations and are still sued UEFA — and that was basically what the rebel Super League clubs had negotiated.
Gone is the group stage format, which lasted 21 seasons and in which 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four teams based on a random draw. The top two in each group advanced to the round of 16. The groups gave each team six matches from September to December, playing each opponent once at home and once away.
A single-ranked league is underway: 36 teams each play eight games against eight different opponents until January.
The top eight teams in the rankings advance directly to the round of 16 in March. The teams ranked ninth to twenty-fourth advance to the playoffs in February. The last twelve teams are eliminated.
In the playoffs, teams ranked 9 through 16 are seeded to play the second leg at home against unranked teams 17 through 24.
Two for the countries whose teams collectively had the best record in UEFA club competitions the previous season. Italy And Germany Thus, the teams ranked fifth in Serie A and the Bundesliga qualified: Bologna and Borussia Dortmund.
The fifth-placed domestic league (based on five years of results in UEFA club competitions) gets a third direct entry. It is currently France and Brest was third in Ligue 1.
An additional place will be awarded to the national champions of the lower-ranked countries in the qualifying rounds. They will now play for five qualification places instead of four last season.
The 36 teams come from four pots ranked according to each team’s performance. “UEFA Club Coefficient” – its ranking based on results obtained over five years of European competitions. The seeded group includes the recent Champions League winners and the defeated finalists, as well as Leipzig and Barcelona.
When a ball is drawn for a team, its list of eight opponents — two from each pot, one to play at home and one to play away — will be assigned by software and displayed within seconds.
Match dates will be confirmed on Saturday, to avoid cross-city clashes, with the Europa League and Conference League games being drawn in Monaco on Friday. These lower-tier competitions are also a single-ranked league of 36 teams. Conference League teams only play six games.
By winning the Champions League in 2023, Manchester City received €135 million ($151 million) from UEFA. This season’s winner can earn €150 million ($168 million), with the competition’s total revenue increased by selling 189 matches in total instead of 125.
The commercial strategy is managed by a UEFA-ECA joint venture, and the Champions League’s new sponsors include a cryptocurrency trading platform and a betting site.
Each of the 36 teams receives a basic prize money of 18.6 million euros ($20.8 million), then 2.1 million euros ($2.35 million) for each match won and 700,000 euros ($782,000) for each draw.
Each place in the standings is worth more money with shares of 275,000 euros ($307,000) per place: 36 shares, or 9.9 million euros ($11 million), go to the team finishing first in January and just one share to the team in last place.
Bonuses increase by €11 million ($12.3 million) per team for each qualification to each knockout round.
Another prize fund of €853 million ($953 million) is allocated based on teams’ historical results in UEFA competitions and the value of domestic and global broadcast deals.
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