UEFA Approves New Format for European Competition: Discover What’s New

On Monday, UEFA, at a meeting of the Executive Committee, approved the model to be adopted in European club competitions from 2024 onwards.

News:

Champions League

– Increased from 32 to 36 teams

The regular group stage gives way to one league, with each team playing at least ten matches against ten different competitors (five at home and five away matches)

– The top eight in this league advance to the knockout stage;

– The teams ranked between the ninth and twenty-fourth places will contest a playoff match to decide who will pass to the round of 16;

One of the additional places will be the 3rd place in the 5th UEFA country. Another place will be awarded to the national champion, thus increasing the number of clubs qualified by the so-called “Caminho dos Campeões” from four to five. The other two places will be for the clubs with the best coefficients among those who did not qualify but secured a place in the qualifying rounds for the Champions League, European League or Conference League.

European League / Conference League

– The format will be identical to the format of the Champions League, where only one group will gather all the teams, and in the European League, each team will play eight matches at this stage, and in the Conference League there will be six matches;

Still under discussion, UEFA now admits expanding both competitions to 36 teams as well.