The draw for the group stage of the 2023/24 Champions League has been made, and there have been contrasting outcomes for two of the favorites to win the tournament.
PSG, the cash-rich French outfit that is yet to taste Champions League glory, has been handed a tough draw in the so-called ‘group of death’ alongside AC Milan, Borussia Dortmund and Newcastle United.
Meanwhile, Real Madrid, who have won more European Cups and editions of the Champions League than any other club, will enjoy a rather easier passage to the knockout phase of the tournament after being paired with Napoli, Braga and competition debutants Union Berlin.
Luck of the Draw
The importance of securing a good draw in the Champions League cannot be underestimated.
Reigning champions Manchester City were already the betting favorites to successfully defend their title, and a good draw that will pit them against RB Leipzig, Young Boys and Crvena Zvezda has seen that position solidified further to odds of +200. Bayern Munich, who also received a favorable draw, and Real Madrid have seen their odds shorten to + and +800, respectively.
Conversely, you won’t see many sports predictions offering hope to PSG, who will surely drop points along the way in Group F and find themselves in a battle to finish inside the top two places that guarantee progress to the next phase of the competition. Their odds of lifting the trophy have lengthened to +1600 accordingly.
Elsewhere, Spanish champions Barcelona will be hoping to make it through Group H unscathed – FC Porto, Shakhtar Donetsk and Antwerp are standing in their way, while Arsenal will celebrate their return to the Champions League with dates against Sevilla, PSV and Lens.
Some of the dark horses to win the tournament will have to work hard to progress past the group stage. Inter Milan, the 2022/23 Champions League finalists, will need to finish above two or more of Benfica, Real Sociedad and Red Bull Salzburg in the standings, while Atletico Madrid – the defeated finalist in 2014 and 2016 – has been grouped with Lazio, Feyenoord and Celtic.
End of an Era
Of course, this is the last edition of the Champions League where the machinations of the group phase draw will even be a factor.
As of the 2024/25 edition, the 36 teams – expanded from the traditional 32 – that qualify for the tournament will be placed in a single league table. They will each play eight games, with seeded teams (selected as per UEFA’s club coefficient) kept apart and thus handed an advantage.
After the eight gameweeks have taken place, the top eight teams in the league table will automatically progress to the Round of 16. Their opponents there, well, this is where things get a little unusual…
The clubs that finish from ninth to 24th in the standings will compete in a play-in style tournament to decide who will take their place in the last 16. Those that finish in positions 25 to 36 will at this stage exit the competition, and unlike in years gone by there is no safety net of a reserved place in the Europa League – for these sides as of 2024/25, their continental journey for the season is over.
With more games to be played in this expanded version, the clubs involved will make more money via ticket sales and TV revenue, but their season’s schedule will be increased – the need to expand their squads further to manage such demand could lead to even more frenzied activity in the transfer window.
So fans should enjoy this last season of the classic group stage format of the Champions League – it’s all change as of 2024/25.
