The European Club Association (ECA) has presented today, during the general assembly held in Vienna, the details of its proposal for the new Champions League that will begin to be played in the 2024-2025 season. A change in competition format emerged in April 2021 after the frustrated attempt to create a Super League.
The Champions League will be disputed by 36 teams, instead of the current 32, and specifically the ECA has raised today with its affiliates how these four additional places will be distributed. A proposal that has been presented to UEFA before its final approval.
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As revealed by The Athletic, the ECA plans that two of the four places be allocated to teams that have not qualified for the Champions League through their respective leagues but have had the best performance in European competitions according to a historical ranking.
A third place would go to a team from the fifth league in the UEFA ranking and a fourth place would be awarded to a team classified through the qualifying phase of the Champions League.
A single group of 36 teams
What will be the new format of the Champions League? As of the 2024-2015 season, the league phase will disappear with the 32 teams divided into eight groups of four as at present. The 36 classified will become part of a single group.
Each team will play ten games, five at home and five away, always against different rivals. A formula that guarantees four more disputed matches in this phase in relation to the current six.
The 16 best placed in the final classification of this unique group of 36 will access the round of 16, which will be played in a traditional round trip, and so on until the final.