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By Jonathan Lewis | 23rd Feb 2023
The Champions League is Europe’s most elite football competition. The very best teams from across the continent compete to claim one of the sport’s most coveted prizes. Champions League nights have an indescribable magic about them, they’re where dreams are realised and hopes are shattered.
The competition holds a special place in the hearts of fans and players alike. This is why, when UEFA announced plans to redesign the format of the tournament, there was an outcry. What exactly are the new plans for the Champions League? Could they end up benefiting teams from the Premier League? Find out here.
What is the New Format?
UEFA first announced plans for a revamp of the Champions League format in 2021, and they have since confirmed that the changes will be in place for the start of the 2024/25 season.
The first major change is that the competition will be expanded to feature 36 teams rather than 32. One of these four additional teams will be the team who finished third in UEFA’s fifth-ranked domestic league. Another team will be one from a country outside of the coefficient top ten, who will enter the competition through a qualification route known as the ‘Champion’s Path’. Finally, two additional teams will qualify from the leagues with the first and second-highest coefficient score that season.
The second major change, and the one that has got everyone talking, is the decision to move away from the traditional group stage preliminary round. Instead, teams will be placed into a league table, where they will receive three points for a win, one for a draw, and zero for a loss.
Teams are placed into pots, with each team playing two teams from each pot. At the end of this first stage, the top eight on the table qualify for the round of 16. Teams from the 9th to the 24th position will enter two-legged playoff games, while those from 25th to 36th will be eliminated.
Why is it Changing?
The Champions League is incredibly successful, so it might seem strange that UEFA has decided to make such significant changes. The reason behind it is fairly simple and should be obvious to any football fan: money. The new format not only increases the number of games in the tournament, from 125 to 189, but it will also mean lucrative glamour ties are more likely.
Will this Benefit Premier League Teams?
These changes are all well and good for UEFA and stand to see the organisation make even more money, but what do they mean for Premier League teams? Well, the expansion of the competition means that we could now see more English teams in the Champions League. One of the new teams that will qualify for the tournament will come from the country with the highest coefficient score. England regularly rank highest, so we can expect to see an additional Premier League team in the Champions League on a far more regular basis.
Participating in the Champions League is extremely financially beneficial for clubs. With an extra English team in the tournament, we can expect to see even more money coming into the Premier League.