Champions League, UEFA launches a new format from 2024 to 2025 with 36 teams
The UEFA Executive Committee approved the new format and access procedures in Vienna starting from the 2024/25 season. The most important change is the transformation of the current group stage a into a single championship stage, in which all the teams will take part. Increased the number of participants: it will go from 32 current teams to 36, which will qualify according to specific criteria
EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NEW CHAMPIONS
UEFA decides to renew its matches. Alexander Ceferinapresident of the governing body of European football, Announcements that there were some important news, which on Tuesday 10 May were put in black and white. In fact, the UEFA Executive Committee approved the new format and the new ways of access at European club competitions starting from the 2024/25 season.
The main changes to the format
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The main change concerns the transformation of the current group stage into a single championship stage which will include all participating teams, which they will no longer be 32 but 36. Each team will be guaranteed a minimum of 8 league matches against 8 different opponents (so as to play 4 home games and the same number away) instead of the current 6 matches played against the three teams in the group. The top eight teams in the league will qualify for the knockout stagewhile the teams that will finish from ninth to 24th place challenges will be in a playoff two games for a place in the round of 16. Similar changes will also apply to the Europa League (which will have 8 games in the league stage) and the Conference League (which will have 6), with both races including 36 teams in the league stage.
The criteria for assigning the 4 additional seats in the Champions League
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With the increase from 32 to 36 teams in the championship team there will be four additional places that will be assigned according to the following criteria:
- A seat will go to the club that ranks third in the league of the fifth association in the UEFA rankings (to date France)
- A seat will be assigned to a championship winnerincreasing the number of teams that qualify through the “path of champions” from four to five
- The last due places they will go to the federations they have obtained the best collective result in the previous season (i.e. the total number of points divided by the number of teams participating in the championship). The two federations will earn a place that will be up to the club that obtains the best placing in the league immediately behind the positions that give qualification to the Champions League. For example, criteria were in the current season, the two nations that want an extra place based on the results of their clubs if this England and Holland.
Ceferin: “I’m very satisfied, the competitive balance will improve”
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“There UEFA has shown that it is doing its utmost to respect the fundamental values of sport and to defend the principle of open competition with qualifications on sporting merit“said Aleksander Ceferina. The UEFA president explained how this new format came about: “There was a long consultation process, during which we listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, federations, clubs and leagues, with the aim of finding the best growth solution for the success of European football. We are convinced that the competitive balance will improve and this will generate substantial revenues from clubs, leagues and football “. In Ceferin he does not hide his satisfaction: “It is a long time since this new solution was unanimously approved, it is yet another proof that European football is more united than ever. The qualification will continue to be based on results so that all clubs can dream of participating in our matches “.