This season will see the UEFA Champions League evolve into a new format.
It is the first time since 1992 that Europe’s elite competition has had such a revamp, with a league phase known as the ‘Swiss Model’ replacing the traditional group stage.
At a meeting in Vienna in 2022, the UEFA executive committee signed off on the new format, where ‘every game counts’ and the draw in Monaco on Thursday will see the start of a new era for the Champions League.
Why have UEFA changed the format?
The new format will lead to more matches between the top teams right from the first matchday. The number of matches will increase from 125 to 189 and there’s even a new anthem.
Real Madrid will go into the new Champions League format as the reigning champions
Premier League sides are facing a very different competition this time round as they bid for glory
The 64 extra games will create more revenue and under the new format, smaller clubs will get a larger share of the prize money than before, with greater weight given to performances on the pitch.
For each of the three seasons between 2021 and 2024, the Champions League’s revenue total was around £3.13bn and that is set to increase substantially.
‘We are working on conservative and more optimistic projections in a range I would say between €4.6bn (£3.9bn) and €4.8bn (£4.1bn) in revenue,’ said Giorgio Marchetti, vice secretary general of UEFA.
Will clubs still play the same team twice?
No - this is the biggest change with the group stage scrapped. Instead, the 32-team group phase will become a 36-team league phase where each side faces eight different teams (four at home and four away) between September and January.
The same will apply for the UEFA Europa League, while for the UEFA Conference League, each side will face six opponents only, one from each of the six pots.
How will the eight teams that each side plays be determined?
The draw takes place on Thursday August 29 in Monaco at 5pm UK time.
The Champions League draw is set to take place on Thursday evening in Monaco
UEFA's Giorgio Marchetti admitted the Champions League revenue could range from £3.9bn to £4.1bn
Each team will be drawn against two teams from each of the four seeded pots in a league phase, playing one team from each pot home and away.
Teams will be placed in pots, based on their individual club coefficient at the start of the season.
How will the draw be done?
Such is the complexity of the draw that the majority of it will be done via automated technology.
A ball will be drawn from a bowl and then via artificial intelligence, through software provided by AE Live - a UK-based IT firm, the eight teams that side will face will be determined.
The system is programmed to factor in country protection - teams cannot face opponents from their country and can be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same country.
The software will also determine who plays home and away. Had the draw been conducted in the usual manner, it would have taken approximately four hours, with 1000 balls and at least 36 bowls on stage however with the use of a supercomputer, the draw is expected to take around 30 minutes.
UEFA are said to be ‘confident’ that the draw is safe from any cyberattack.
There were 32 teams in eight groups last season, but there will now be one big 36-team league
Who will qualify for the knockout stage?
The knockout stage has been designed in a way where the higher you come in the group stage, the easier the fixture you potentially get. At the end of eight-game league stage, the top eight will advance directly to the round of 16.
The sides finishing from ninth to 24th will contest the knockout phase play offs over two legs, with the winners progressing to the last 16 while the teams that finish between 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions, instead of dropping into the Europa League.
The new format is designed to open up the competition and offer chances to more teams to qualify for the knockout phase. ‘We simulated that qualification should be possible with an average of 7.6 points, which means two victories and two draws,’ according to Stephane Anselmo, UEFA’S head of competitions strategic development.
From the round of 16, it is business as usual with teams playing each other home and away until the final is played at a neutral venue.
The higher the teams finish in the league phase ranking, the higher their seeding position will be for the knock-out phase of the competition. Teams can play opponents from the same country from the knockout phase play offs onwards.
Aston Villa will need to finish in the top eight to gain automatic qualification on their return to the competition - with Nos 9-24 facing play-offs to reach the last 16
How will clubs benefit financially?
UEFA forecasts indicate the new format will see an extra £372million distributed in prize money this season. The Champions League prize pot alone is estimated to stand at roughly £2.1billion for 2024-25, with each club automatically entitled to at least £17.4m
For context, Manchester City’s first Champions League title in 2022-23 returned them around £110m in prize money.
This season, 27.5 per cent of the greater revenues will be ring-fenced and split equally between the 36 clubs, with an improved 37.5 per cent given out in performance-related payments.
The remaining 35 per cent will be allocated through a new ‘value pillar’ that is determined by the value of broadcasting rights in the country of the club and their UEFA coefficient ranking.
Manchester City’s first Champions League title in 2022-23 returned them around £110m in prize money
With more games, are players at risk of burnout?
At an event celebrating the launch of Prime’s Champions League coverage, Alan Shearer told Mail Sport that football is reaching a ‘breaking point’, citing the quality of the games at Euro 2024 as an example that more games means less quality because players are tired.
The PFA have even threatened strike action due to an increasing workload for players. With the new format, teams involved in European competition could play a potential 36 competitive games by the end of January.
If a team reaches the final through the knockout play offs, they will end up playing 17 European matches. The finalists last season played 13 each.
But Stephen Smith, founder and CEO of Kitman Kabs, a data science and analytics company used by the Premier League and the FA has called for an evidence-led approach, stating that there is no clear evidence at the moment to say that more games puts players at higher risk of injury.
If teams reach the Champions League final through knockout play-offs they will end up playing 17 games - last year's finalists only played 13
Are there any other knock on effects?
In the Carabao Cup, the Champions League and Europa League clubs will be seeded for the first time to help with fixture congestion.
These teams will enter in the third round, to be played over two weeks in September that coincide with designated weeks for European football. The Champions League plays in week one and Europa League in week two of the fortnight assigned for the Carabao Cup third round.
Previously, European games were allocated six midweeks between September and December but this will be stretched to 10 midweeks up to January.
What is the maximum number of places a country can have in the UCL and in Europe?
Once again, the team who finishes fifth in the Premier League may qualify for next season depending on the association coefficient.
Two of the extra four slots in the competition will be awarded to nations whose clubs achieve the best collective performance in the season before. Under the old system, a maximum of five clubs from one association could play in the Champions League.
But from 2024-25, the cap has been removed and in theory, it is possible for seven English teams to get a place in 2025-26: The top four, fifth place depending on coefficient and the winners of the Champions League and the Europa League.
In theory there could be seven teams in the competition next term: The top four, fifth place depending on coefficient, and the winners of both Champions and Europa Leagues
Where can UK viewers watch the Champions League?
TNT Sport, Prime Video, and the BBC have the rights for the coverage till 2027.
TNT Sport will air the bulk of the live matches and highlights with 533 of the 550 live fixtures. Meanwhile, Prime Video will show the Champions League for the first time, getting first pick for Tuesday night matches and 17 matches overall.
The BBC will show highlights from 10pm on Wednesday evenings.
Dates for your calendar:
Even though the teams will know all their opponents by the end of the draw, the fixture list with match dates and kick-off times will be confirmed on Saturday 31 August, to ensure no calendar clashes with teams in UEFA Europa League and UEFA Conference League playing in the same cities.
The league phase will culminate with an epic 18-match finale when all teams will play at the same time on Wednesday 29 January 2025 and the final will be in Munich on Saturday 31 May 2025.
Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
Matchday 2: 1-2 October 2024
Matchday 3: 22-23 October 2024
Matchday 4: 5-6 November 2024
Matchday 5: 26-27 November 2024
Matchday 6: 10-11 December 2024
Matchday 7: 21-22 January 2025
Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
The final of the 2024-25 Champions League is set to be played at Bayern Munich's Allianz Arena
Pep Guardiola and City will be in Pot 1 with Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, PSG and Liverpool
Teams that have qualified:
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona.
Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan.
Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting, PSV Eindhoven, Celtic, Dinamo Zagreb, RB Salzburg, Lille, Crvena Zvezda, Young Boys.
Pot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest, Sparta Praha, Slovan Bratislava.