UEFA announced that the draw for the next edition of the Champions League will adopt a hybrid format, combining a manual process to select the team balls with a digital system that will randomly determine the pairings.
According to UEFAthis new approach will be used in a league structure with 36 teams, where clubs will be ranked based on their performance.
The competition will allow The top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, while those in positions 9 to 24 will play a two-legged playoff to secure a place in the next round. Teams finishing in positions 25 to 36 will be eliminated.
The 36 teams will be organized into four pots according to their coefficient, with the exception of the current champion, which will be automatically placed in pot 1. Each team will play a total of eight matches: two against teams from its own pot and two against each of the other pots, with a balance of four home games and four away games, determined randomly by the software.
The draw also will maintain the rule of not facing teams from the same countryin addition to adding the restriction that a team cannot have more than two rivals from another country during this phase.
According to Tobias Hedtstück, UEFA Director of Club Competitions, this new format will significantly reduce the length of the draw, which In its previous version it could have exceeded three hours.
Specific dates for matches in European competitions will be announced on August 31, while The Champions League draw will take place on August 29followed by the Europa and Conference League draws on August 30, all in Monaco.
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