The UEFA organizes the most popular club competitions worldwide including the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. These three-tier competitions host top clubs from across the continent, representing all 55 associations. Over the years, UEFA has distinguished these tournaments into three major competitions, each catering to varying club success and rankings.
Following earlier reports of organizers working on a new format for the UEFA Champions League, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) has now announced a new format that will be followed from the 2024-25 season onwards in all three competitions.
UEFA’s new format for 2024-25 season explained
The European Football Association has decided to eliminate the current group stage format from all of their club competitions starting from the new season onwards. The revamped format will feature 36 teams in all competitions, which will be placed in a single league format, instead of being divided into groups of four teams.
In the league phase of the new format, each team will be drawn against eight different opponents, seeded from four pots, and will participate in four home and four away matches in the Champions League. This is in contrast to the Europa League, which will feature only six matches, effectively replacing the traditional three-game group stage norm.
Across all three European competitions, the top eight clubs will directly qualify for the Round of 16. Teams finishing from 9th to 24th place on the table will enter a two-legged playoff to secure a spot among the initial eight clubs that have advanced to the next round.
Conversely, the remaining clubs, ranking from 25th to 36th, will be eliminated from the competition. This marks a departure from the current format, where teams have the opportunity to drop down to a lower European competition by the end of the group stage.
Every detail about UEFA Champions League round of 16 second leg
Returning to the current 2023-24 season, the second leg of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 is upon us, with some mouth-watering clashes lined up ahead.
On Wednesday, the Bundesliga champions, Bayern Munich will host the Italian side Lazio at the Allianz Arena. After suffering a 1-0 defeat in the first leg, they will be eager to bounce back at home. Meanwhile, the French champions will travel to Spain to face Real Sociedad, carrying a 2-0 lead on aggregate.
Thursday evening will see the 14-time competition winners face RB Leipzig at the Santiago Bernabeu, following their 1-0 victory in the first leg. The reigning champions are back in action at home after their derby triumph, set to host Danish club Copenhagen with a lead of 3-1 on aggregate.
Next week, the La Liga champions Barcelona will face the Italian champions Napoli in Catalonia, following a 1-1 draw in Naples in their earlier tie. Atletico Madrid will welcome Inter Milan, seeking to overturn a 1-0 deficit in Madrid.
Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal faced a late upset against Porto and will resume the second leg at the Emirates Stadium. Two dark horses of the competition, PSV Eindhoven and Borussia Dortmund will face off at the Philips Stadium.
