What are the main differences with the new Champions League?

The 2024/25 UEFA Champions League gets officially underway on Tuesday (September 17) and marks the start of a new era for Europe’s elite club competition.

Forget (almost) everything you know about the previous incarnation of the Champions League. You will probably be well aware by now the UCL will be played using a considerably different format from now on. Let’s dive into the changes.

What are the main changes to the Champions League in 2024/25?

Number of teams

Between 1999/00 and 2023/24, 32 teams took part in the competition proper. That number has increased to 36.

League phase replaces group stage

Previously, the 32 teams were drawn into eight groups of four in the “group stage”.

Now, all participants form part of a 36-team league in the “league phase”.

Number of fixtures

In the previous group stage, teams in the same group played each other twice, once at home, once away (a total of six games).

In the new league phrase, each team plays eight matches - four at home and four away - against eight different opponents. Before the draw, the 36 teams were separated into four pots based on their UEFA club coefficient, with each team facing two teams from each of the four pots – one at home and one away.

Dates

Whereas the group stage was always completed before Christmas, the league phase won’t be. The addition of two extra matches (eight instead of six, remember) means matchdays seven and eight will be played in January.

Knockout rounds: who qualifies?

As was the previously the case, the knockout phase proper begins with the round of 16. However, there is now an additional playoff phase in between the league phase and the last 16.

The top eight clubs in the league phase qualify directly for the round of 16, with the teams ranked 9th to 24th taking part in the knockout phase playoff. Those who finish between 9th and 16th are seeded for the playoff, with the 17th to 24th ranked teams unseeded.

The eight knockout phase playoffs will be played over two legs, with the eight winners advancing to the round of 16.

The bottom eight teams in the league phase are eliminated from the competition. Unlike the previous format, no teams drop down into the Europa League.

From the round of 16 onwards, the competition reverts back to its more traditional, straightforward format, with two-legged ties in the last 16, quarterfinals and semifinals followed by a one-off final a neutral venue (Munich’s Allianz Arena in 2024/25).

Away goals

As has been the case since 2021/22, the away goals rule doesn’t apply in two-legged ties in the ‘new’ Champions League.

Champions League games on a Thursday

For as long as most of us can remember, Champions League games have been played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. That will also be the case from now on, with the exception of six league phase matches, which will take place on Thursday (September 19) on matchday 1.

The opening week is referred to as ‘exclusive week,’ which means only Champions League games will be played in the midweek of September 17-19.

There will be no Europa or Conference League fixtures that week, which would normally have been the case. Those those two tournaments have their own ‘exclusive weeks’ (25-26 September and 19 December respectively).

Anthem

Shockingly, for some, UEFA have also decided to play around with the Champions League anthem. While it broadly sounds the same, it feels somewhat lighter and has a few more flourishes than the one we’re all familiar with.