New UEFA Champions League format explained

Many of you are watching the UEFA Champions League and wondering why is the match played this way. Why are they even playing matches on Thursday? Well, this article explains in detail the new league format of the competition.

UEFA decided to come up with a new format this year and it is in a league-like format – the league phase and the knockout phase. This is how it’ll be played;

League Phase

– Instead of 8 groups of 4 teams each with each team playing each other home and away; in the new UCL format, teams will now play 8 matches with 8 different opponents in the league table.

– The UCL draws has been done with a software and opponents determined, unlike the usual pickups.

– Teams will play two opponents from each ranking pots but opponents cannot play a team from the same nation. For example, Manchester City cannot play Arsenal and Real Madrid cannot play Barcelona.

– Teams are only allowed to play two opponents per nation. For example, Barcelona can’t play Arsenal, Manchester City and Aston Villa, they can only play two opponents from the EPL.

– It’s going to be a league of 36 teams.

Knockout Phase

1. Top 8 automatically qualifies for the Round of 16, That’s the top 2 teams of each 4 pots.

2. Teams from 9th to 24th are matched up for a two-legged playoff to join the Round of 16, the losers are out. (No dropping to the Europa League), Note: that’s teams that finish from 3rd – 6th in each pot. Also in this knockout phase, the teams that finish between 9th and 16th will be seeded in the knockout phase play-off draw, meaning they will face a team placed 17th to 24th – with, in principle, the return leg at home. The 8 clubs which prevail in the knockout phase play-offs will then progress to the round of 16, where they will each face one of the top 8 finishers, who will be seeded in the round of 16.

3. Teams from 25th to 36th are eliminated from the competition immediately. (That’s the last 3 teams from each pot).

4. On the final matchday, all 18 matches will be played simultaneously, like the last day of the EPL season. It’s going to be intense.

5. The Round of 16, Quarterfinals & Semifinals will be the regular two-legged matches.

6. The UCL league phase will now finish in January, rather than December, with the first 6 games played before Christmas day and the last two games on 21st to 2nd January and 29th January.

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