The brand new Champions League format has not proved universally standard. Actually, amongst followers not less than, the overwhelming consensus appears to be it is a horrible thought – a financially motivated transfer by UEFA; a again door to a European Tremendous League, even.
From this season, there isn’t a extra Champions League group stage. As an alternative, UEFA have adopted the ‘Swiss mannequin’, an ostensibly sophisticated first section of the competitors during which all 36 groups (yep, 4 greater than earlier than) kind one large league desk.
It will take some getting used to, for positive – it is the largest shake-up to Europe’s prime membership competitors for the reason that scrapping of the previous second group stage in 2003 – and never all change is nice. This one is, although…
WATCH | How The New Champions League Format Really Works
Elevated jeopardy
Underneath the previous first-round format of eight teams of 4 groups, useless rubbers have been one thing of an inevitability. On the sixth and ultimate matchday of the 2023/24 group stage, for instance, six of the eight teams noticed not less than one recreation between two groups whose fates – whether or not development to the final 16, a drop into the Europa League knockout spherical play-offs or outright elimination – have been already determined, whereas a variety of different fixtures featured one facet with successfully nothing to play for.
With the introduction of the brand new format, that should not occur – to not such a level, anyway. There are now not any second possibilities within the Champions League: when you’re out of the competitors, that is it – no Europa League reprieve.
Granted, ‘rewarding’ third-place group finishers with a spot in UEFA’s second-tier competitors (or, lately, a spot within the play-offs for the final 16 of that competitors) stored issues attention-grabbing for longer – very similar to the play-offs do within the EFL, for instance – however one might argue that giving groups such a security web in a brief format (six video games) diluted the jeopardy that brings a lot pleasure and rigidity to match soccer. The brand new format – whereby the highest eight sides advance mechanically to the final 16, the subsequent 16 go right into a play-off spherical and solely the remaining eight exit – ought to extend that all-important jeopardy.
One other plus of the rejigged Champions League format is that each crew – even these seeded highest – is assured not less than two ‘exams’ within the first section of the competitors. Both sides has been drawn in opposition to two opponents from every of the 4 pots, with Pot 1 containing holders Actual Madrid, Manchester Metropolis, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Barcelona.
Thursday’s draw (which was carried out by pc reasonably than individuals (after UEFA discovered that it will take so long as 4 hours to do it the old school approach) threw up some cracking fixtures for all groups concerned. Actual’s eight league section fixtures embody clashes with Dortmund, who they beat in final season’s ultimate, Liverpool, Milan and 2023/24 Europa League winners Atalanta; Metropolis will tackle Inter, PSG and Juventus; and Brest face Actual, Barcelona and Bayer Leverkusen on their European debut.
As an alternative of taking part in three opponents twice every (as soon as at residence and as soon as on the highway) each facet within the Champions League now contests eight first-round matches (4 residence, 4 away) in opposition to eight completely different groups, giving the early competitors one thing of an expanded World Cup (or, perhaps extra appropriately given the area, Euros) really feel. Selection is the spice of life and all that.
For the better good
The brand new Champions League format would not simply influence the UCL itself; it additionally has an impact on the Europa League and Convention League. And it looks as if a optimistic impact.
With groups who do not attain the Champions League knockout stage now not dropping into the Europa League, the winner of the latter must have been within the competitors from the outset. It at all times felt a contact unfair that an ostensibly stronger facet might enter the Europa League late and go on to raise the trophy – as occurred on 9 events, most not too long ago with Sevilla in 2023 – however that is now not a chance.
Precisely the identical change applies to the Convention League from 2024/25, too. Europe’s three main membership competitions are absolutely distinct for the primary time for the reason that late 90s (once you had the Cup Winners’ Cup reasonably than the Convention League – the latter being a really new match, after all) – and they need to all be higher off due to it.
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