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The changes to the format of the Champions League, starting from the 2024-25 season, will exclude the traditional group stage.
From subsequent seasons onwards, the current championship model will be replaced by another, incorporating a series of changes that will substantially affect the championship’s structure. Among them, a notable difference is the increase from 32 teams to 36, considerably increasing the number of matches.
The four additional places will be determined as follows: one spot is reserved for the third place in the league of the association that is in fifth place in the UEFA rankings (currently the Netherlands); one spot is given to the national champion who comes from the playoffs, otherwise known as The Champions Path; the remaining two places will be distributed between the two federations whose clubs have the best average points per game in the previous edition (currently they would be England and Italy).
Marking the end of the group stage, the teams will be organized into a giant league with a total of 189 matches instead of 125. At this initial stage, the teams will play eight matches, four at home and four as visitors. The top eight teams will go directly to the round of 16. Teams between the ninth and twenty-fourth place will face each other in a knockout round. The winners join the first top 8 teams and form the round of 16 to determine the finalists.
