UEFA confirms changes to the Champions League format – 2024-03-06 09:24:24

The changes in football continue their course and now the most important international tournament between clubs in the world, the Champions League, sticks to the modality by confirming UEFA, this Monday, March 4, that it will no longer have its historic group stage starting next season 2024-2025.

Not only will there be modifications in the Champions League, since it was also established that the international tournaments of the UEFA Europa League and Conference League will also have changes in their match calendars.

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Changes, start and end dates

The next Champions League will have 36 participating teams, unlike the 32 that currently compete. The first phase will be a league where all the qualified clubs will be, either directly or in the respective playoffs.

Each participant will play eight games, two more than how they are played in the group stage, with four at home and the other four as visitors. When this round ends, the first eight best in each table qualify directly for the round of 16, while the 16 teams that finish between 9th and 24th place will play a playoffs (with round-trip matches) to advance to the next round. . From 25th to 36th, they are automatically eliminated with no chance of going to the Europe or Conference League.

Starting in the round of 16, the current format is maintained with the final in a single stadium. “All matches prior to the final will continue to be played during the week, recognizing the importance of the national match calendar throughout Europe, while the final will continue to be played on Saturday,” explains the video broadcast on the official social networks of the football entity of the old continent. .

Match 1 of each team will be played between September 17 and 19, 2024, while the momentous match that will define the champion of the 2024-2025 Champions League will take place on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at the Allianz Arena , home of Bayern Munich.