The Champions League showcases the highest quality of world football and brings in billions of euros in revenue for UEFA and the clubs that participate. It helps us debate who is the greatest of all time and keeps the competition and interest alive for millions of fans worldwide.
But the tournament is not without its critics. Some see it as a monopoly for big European clubs and that the competition is unfair to non-champions from lower tiers of the league system. Others say that the tournament’s structure encourages the over-exertion of players, leading to injuries, burnout and a loss of intensity.
To try to address these criticisms and make the Champions League more accessible to fans, changes have been made from 2024 onwards. For instance, the number of teams has increased from 32 to 36. Moreover, the group stage has been replaced by a “league phase” where each team plays eight games against different opponents.
During the league phase, clubs are placed in different pots based on their strength and a draw decides what matches each team will play against. There are also certain conditions such as that a team cannot be drawn against the same opponent they played in the previous round and that clubs from the same country can’t be drawn together.
The top eight teams get a direct pass to the next round of the competition and they will be joined by the two best teams from the remaining pots in the new knockout phase. The quarter-finals and semifinals are still two legged, but the final is a single match that is usually held at a venue chosen before the season begins.
