Champions League: New format explained as Real Madrid face Liverpool, Bayern battle Barca
Reigning champions Real Madrid will play Borussia Dortmund in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League in what will be a repeat of last season’s final after the draw for the new-look 36-team tournament was held on Thursday.
Clubs will no longer be playing three teams home and away in the group phase, but will face eight different teams with four games at home and four away which were picked with the help of a computer.
With clubs facing two teams each from the four pots, the draw threw up plenty of mouth-watering fixtures with Real also set to play former champions Liverpool and AC Milan in the league phase.
Premier League champions Manchester City will face Inter Milan — a repeat of the 2023 final — while Bayern Munich are up against Paris Saint Germain and Barcelona among others.
Apart from Real, Liverpool also take on RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen and AC Milan.
New Barcelona boss Hansi Flick has his hands full with the Spanish team set to face the two German giants — his former club Bayern Munich and Dortmund.
The draw was conducted with the help of the competition’s all-time top scorer Cristiano Ronaldo and former goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon, who were both given special awards by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
NEW FORMAT EXPLAINED
The 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Champions League will follow a new format, following is an explainer of how it will work:
ONE LEAGUE
All teams will compete in a single 36-team league, replacing the previous format of eight groups with four teams each.
In the new league phase, teams will play eight matches instead of facing three opponents twice. They will play against eight different teams, with half of the games at home and half away.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while those finishing from ninth to 24th will enter a two-legged knockout play-off for a chance to secure a spot in the next stage.
Teams that finish 25th or lower will be eliminated and will not advance to the Europa League.
From the Round of 16 onward, the Champions League will revert to its traditional format, with the final held at a neutral location.
WHO DRAW WHO?
Teams are divided into four pots for the draw based on their club coefficient.
Each team will play against two teams from each pot, with one match held at home and the other away.
Teams will be restricted from facing rivals from their own country and will be limited to playing against only two clubs from any single country.
MORE MATCHES
Under the new format, the total number of matches will rise from 125 to 189, with each team playing between eight and 17 games, and the league phase extending until the end of January rather than concluding before Christmas.
