The Champions League Returns with a Renewed Format!
The UEFA Champions League is back, and with the second season of the “League Phase” format underway, it’s essential to review the new developments. Some changes are simple, others more complex, and some might seem a mystery until the knockout rounds arrive in February, although we’ve already had a preview. Furthermore, there’s a modification in the knockout stages for this season.
What is the new Champions League format?
Let’s start with the basics. Last season marked the first time in 21 years that there was a format change in Europe’s top club competition. For the previous 21 seasons, 32 teams qualified and were divided into eight groups of four. The top two teams advanced to the round of 16, the third fell into the UEFA/Europa League, and the fourth was completely eliminated from Europe.Now we have 36 teams, but they are no longer divided into groups. Instead, we have the “League Phase” of the Champions League. All clubs are in a large ranking table.
How does it work?- The teams were drawn to play eight matches, four at home and four away.
- The teams in positions 25 to 36 are eliminated in January.
- The 16 teams in positions 9 to 24 play in the knockout phase playoffs, in February, to earn a place in the round of 16.
- The top eight go directly to the round of 16, which is played in March.
When will the matches be played?
There will be two matches at 5:45 p.m. (UK time) / 12:45 p.m. (ET) and the rest at 8 p.m. (UK time) / 3 p.m. (ET). However, on the last day of the League Phase, all 18 matches will start at 8 p.m. (UK time) / 3 p.m. (ET). UEFA has extended the European calendar to 10 midweek matchdays, instead of the six it used to have. The Champions League will occupy eight matchdays, with the remaining two for the Europa League and Conference League to have their own independent weeks. Only the Champions League will play the week of September 16-18, with the Europa League on September 24-25 and the Conference League on December 18. The Champions League group stage now concludes in January, instead of December, with six matches played before Christmas and the final two rounds on January 20th and 21st and January 28th. With the new format that produces multiple matches from Pot 1, when in previous seasons there would be none, UEFA will seek to create a distribution of “stellar” matches in all matchdays.How do the elimination rounds and bracket work?
UEFA used to conduct draws during all knockout rounds, but the new method of using league standings to construct the bracket means that only two are required: one for the knockout phase playoffs (January 30) and another for the round of 16 (February 27) to complete the bracket. There is no country protection, so, for example, Liverpool could play against Chelsea in the round of 16. In past seasons, country protection was maintained until the quarter-finals. The strength of the teams in the expanded tournament means that some heavyweight teams are likely to miss out on the top eight, and that could create some high-impact matchups early in the knockout phase, as we saw with Liverpool vs. PSG last season.The first draw, on January 30, creates the playoff matches of the knockout phase, with each team ranked between 9 and 24 having two possible opponents. The match is set in one of the two possible positions in the bracket.
The clubs ranked between 9 and 16 play the second leg at home. From this point on, the position in the bracket is established for these teams.The second draw, on February 27, creates the round of 16 matches, with the qualified teams between 1 and 8 placed in one of the two possible positions. The entire bracket is already set up to the final.
How has UEFA changed the home advantage in the qualifiers?
Last season, there was an open draw to decide who would play the second leg at home in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. UEFA has changed this, and the venue for the second leg is now based on the merit of the League Phase. Teams ranked 1st to 4th are guaranteed to play the second leg at home in the round of 16 and quarter-finals, if they reach them. Teams ranked 1st and 2nd also have home advantage in the semi-finals. Arsenal were annoyed because they had to play the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain in France last season, even though the Gunners had finished third in the League Phase and PSG finished in 15th place. However, the change in regulations would not have benefited Arsenal. Because PSG eliminated Liverpool, ranked number 1, in the round of 16, the Ligue 1 team would have “won” home priority over Liverpool along with the tie. So PSG, despite being in 15th place, would have been guaranteed the second leg at home in the quarter-finals and semi-finals. This means that, if the same thing were to happen next season, Arsenal would still have to play the second leg away from home. It provides fewer incentives to obtain a higher ranking within the top eight and gives a team outside the top spots the opportunity to get the top seed priority.The rule change would have created a different semi-final order for Barcelona (second) against Inter Milan (fourth). The Serie A team, which reached the final, was drawn at home last season, but with the new system, Barcelona would have automatically had priority.
The UEFA’s decision not to re-seed each tie solely based on the League Phase standings (instead of prioritizing teams that eliminated those ranked 1-4) creates an imbalance, an additional division in the knockout bracket. It disadvantages teams finishing third or fourth, because it is now impossible for any of them to play at home in the second leg of a semi-final. Only the teams that finish in the following positions can play the second leg at home in the semi-final: first, second, seventh, eighth, ninth, tenth, 15th, 16th, 17th, 18th, 23rd, 24th.
