The beginning of 2025 brings the finals of the most prestigious club football tournament in the world, The UEFA Champions League (or also known as the UCL) closer and closer. But this year is unlike any other year in record for the UCL, because currently it is undergoing a historic transformation. The 2024-25 season introduces the most radical shift of format in decades, changing from a traditional 32 group stage to a “Swiss-style league phase” that includes 36 different teams. This major change will have a great effect on the clubs, players and even casual viewers.
Since 2003 the UCL has been following the same structure, featuring 32 teams split into eight groups of four, followed by knockout rounds. This format is cherished by UCL fans and has made for some iconic moments, but UEFA (the governing body of football) believes that this format needs to be updated in order to remain commercially and competitively appealing. This is not a unique thought process from a governing body of a sport. Many other sports such as the MLB, NFL and even NBA have historically been known for adjusting parts of the game in order to “modernize” it. This “modernization” includes the sport being able to generate more viewership and revenue.
The rehaul of the old format allows more games to be played. Teams are playing eight matches instead of the previous six group-stage games.This on paper should directly correlate into more revenue and viewership. Then the top eight teams in the league automatically qualify for the Round of 16. The rest of the teams that placed 9th-24th entered a two legged playoff to fight for a spot at the Round of 16. This also makes these early knockout stages have more high stakes, with casual viewers having more incentives to watch. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated immediately.
In summary this new format means more matches between top level football clubs in the early stages of the competition. This has its pros and cons. Of course this is more entertainment for viewers and also higher numbers for broadcasters. But the downside is that adding extra strain on players because of the sheer quantity of games being played. Extra games lead to extra fatigue which leads to poorer performance and also increases chance of injury. Critics argue that this format change will negatively impact domestic leagues. On top of that this format only really benefits elite clubs with billions of dollars because they have deeper squads which allow for increased workload.
The new format is a gamble by UEFA and fans won’t see the full effect until later into the year. While it promises more excitement to the schedule it also starts to increase the gap between wealthy clubs with money hungry owners and homegrown clubs. So only time will tell how this season will play out. But one thing is for certain, the 2024-25 Champions League season will be unlike any before it.