The Champions League afternoons left their mark on thousands of fans of the sport. After several years of bringing us the most exciting games in Europe, For the 2024-2025 season, the tournament will undergo a major change: the group stage will no longer exist.
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Champions League 2024-2025: What will the new format look like?
The UEFA Executive Committee confirmed that the most important change will be in the next edition of the Champions League It will be in the group stage. So far in this phase of the competition there have been 32 teams, divided into 8 groups of 4 teams each.
However, for the 2024-2025 season, 36 clubs will compete in a single league phase where everyone competes against everyone. Now each team will play 8 games against different teams (4 play at home and 4 away).
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How are the rivals determined? According to UEFA, the teams will be divided into four pots. Each team then faces two rivals from each of these pots. This way they play a game against one club from each pot at home and another away.
Champions League 2024-2025: What will qualification for the round of 16 look like?
The first thing to remember is that from the round of 16 the competition will have the same system that we know. Now the first 8 teams move on to the next phase. In addition, the teams between ninth and twenty-fourth place meet in the play-off doubleheaders, of which only eight can qualify. The 16 teams for the Final Keys would thus be formed.
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Champions League 2024-2025: What will happen to the remaining UEFA competitions?
Although the Champions League receives the most attention, there are two other competitions in UEFA: the Europa League and the Conference League. According to the statement on their website, both tournaments will continue to follow the same format as the Champions League next season.