2024/25 Champions League will kick off in the early morning of September 18th Beijing time. Following that, Europa League and Europa Conference League will also gradually commence. The new season brings significant reforms to the three European competitions, including expanding the number of teams to 36, eliminating the group stage, and adopting the Swiss system. Compared to the previous format, the changes are substantial. Let's take a closer look together!

Champions League Reform:

Under the previous format, the Champions League group stage had 32 teams divided into 8 groups of 4 teams each. Each team would play home and away matches against the other 3 teams in the group. The top two teams in each group would advance to the round of 16, while the third-placed teams would play in the Europa League. In the new season, the Champions League will expand to 36 teams and eliminate the group stage. All teams will compete in a format similar to a "league" where points will determine their standings. This is commonly referred to as the "Swiss Round."

The Swiss system, also known as the round-robin tournament, selects players with similar or equal records to compete against each other to determine the strongest competitor. However, it is important to note that the new Champions League format does not fully adopt the Swiss system but instead incorporates some of its characteristics, forming a "customized version" tailored to its own needs.

Under the new format, the 36 teams will be divided into four pots, with 2 teams drawn from each pot to compete against each other. One match will be played at home and the other away, resulting in a total of 8 matches for each team, 4 home and 4 away.

In this "league-like" stage, the top 8 teams in the final standings will automatically advance to the Champions League round of 16. The teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in a knockout stage playoff, battling for the remaining 8 spots in the round of 16. The teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated and will not continue in the Europa League.

In the playoff stage, the teams ranked 9th to 16th will be seeded and drawn against the teams ranked 17th to 24th. The matches will be played over two legs, with the away goals rule in effect. The winners will advance to the round of 16, where they will face the top 8 teams who had already qualified.

From the round of 16 onwards, the Champions League will maintain the previous knockout format, with two-legged ties for the round of 16, quarterfinals, and semifinals. The final will be a one-off match played at a neutral venue selected by UEFA.

In the new season of the Champions League, 32 spots remain unchanged from the previous format, while the additional 4 spots will be allocated according to the following rules:

Spot 1: Belongs to the team ranked 3rd in the league with the 5th highest European tournament coefficient.

Spot 2: Belongs to the domestic league champion. The number of teams qualifying through the Champions League qualification rounds has been increased from 4 to 5.

Spots 3-4: Belong to the two leagues with the best performance in UEFA club competitions last season. (Based on the coefficient calculated as the total points earned by each club in the previous season's European competitions divided by the number of teams from that association participating).

Europa League Reform:

The Europa League will also expand to 36 teams in the new season. This includes 12 teams qualifying through domestic league performances, 12 teams qualifying through Europa League qualification rounds, 11 teams eliminated from the Champions League qualification rounds, and the winners of the 23rd-24th season Europa Conference League. The format will change to a Swiss round similar to the Champions League group stage. The top 8 teams in the standings will advance to the round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will compete in two-legged playoffs. The seeded teams will be the ones ranked 9th to 16th, and the winners of the playoffs will advance to the Europa League round of 16. Teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated, and the European season will end there for them.

Europa Conference League Reform:

The Europa Conference League will have a total of 36 spots in the new season, with 24 spots coming from the Europa Conference League qualification rounds and 12 spots coming from the Europa League qualification rounds. The 36 teams will be ranked according to their European tournament coefficients and divided into six pots, with 6 teams in each pot. Each team will be drawn against one team from each pot, resulting in 3 home matches and 3 away matches for each team. This stage will also adopt the Swiss round format, with the exception of playing 2 matches less than the Champions League and Europa League.

In summary, the new season of European competitions will witness significant reforms, with the expansion of the number of teams, the elimination of the group stage, and the adoption of the Swiss system. These changes aim to provide a more competitive and exciting tournament for both teams and fans. Let's look forward to the thrilling matches in the 2024/25 season!

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