Just three months off the back of Real Madrid’s record 14th Champions League triumph at Wembley against Borussia Dortmund, European football’s most prestigious competition is ready to make its return, with a twist. From this year going forward, the UEFA Champions League has scrapped its long serving 32-team group stage in return for an all-new 36-team league phase to determine the teams that qualify for this season’s knockout stages. With four extra teams, increased games, a new playoff round and much more, the all-new format has split a lot of opinion within the football community. Question is, Can the format be an improvement on its predecessor or is it the beginning of the end for the competition we all love? 

The new 36-team format will see each team play eight games, four at home and four away from home. The eight teams with the most points at the end of the League phase will progress automatically to the knockout stages. However, in another new addition, teams who finish in positions 9-24 in the League phase will progress to a playoff round in which those teams will compete against each other over two legs to earn one of the final eight knockout spots available. As a result, not only will teams be guaranteed more games than they faced in the pervious format, but for those who advance into the playoff round, they will find themselves competing in ten games to reach the knockout round compared to the six they faced in the old format. 

Consequently, squad versatility will become pivotal to teams’ succeeding in this year’s competition. Mikel Arteta, Head Coach of Arsenal FC, realises such and argues that the new format will bring his coaches and analysts, “very, very different demands” due to the heightened schedule brought by the new format. Therefore, fear for the potential of significant injuries to rear its ugly head is very apparent and does make people question whether the increase in games will be a successful addition to the tournament. 

Although, the increased schedule of the competition shouldn’t only be looked at under a negative lens. With each team facing one home and one away game against teams from each of the four seeding pots, you will see all the biggest contenders face stern tests before the competition’s knockout round. Liverpool against Real Madrid, Arsenal versus PSG and Aston Villa at home to Bayern Munich are some of many standout games that will feature in this year’s league phase. Compared to its predecessor format in which some of the bigger teams would coast to qualification for the knockouts within 4 games, the new league format with its 8 games and increased number of qualification spots creates a sense that each of these intense matchups will hold significant importance in deciding this year’s champion. 

In addition, an exciting final matchday of the league phase has also been added to the competition. On Wednesday 29th January 2025, all 18 games from Matchday 8 will be played simultaneously on one night. The intention of this is that every fan of every team will be on the edge of their seat knowing that their hopes in the competition could be decided by both their own game and the results of their rivals. As a result, with bigger matchups, more opportunities to qualify and an exciting final week all looming, the new format has the potential to create an exciting change to the tournament that every football fan adores. 

However, some real questions do lie about the viability of the new format. Can teams playing two extra games in an already packed domestic schedule perform at the highest of their ability? With added games and less breaks, the increased likelihood of injuries due to greater competition could become a real problem. Furthermore, does this new format only serve to the intentions of the team’s owners vying for greater profit and financial gain.? With the increase in matches between the household names, does the new format only want to increase the wallets of those already at the top? Therefore, could we see the new format bringing about similar fan backlash to those that occurred during the introduction of the European Super League in 2021? These issues will undoubtedly play a large role in deciding whether the competition’s new format will succeed. 

Despite that, the new format undoubtedly needs time to settle in. UEFA sees this new format as a thrilling new future for European football and there are many reasons to suggest it could be. With more high-profile matchups becoming a regular occurrence and a new playoff round increasing the number of teams progressing through the competition, the new league phase could turn the competition on its head. Not only does the format have the potential to improve the matchday experience and quality of games, but it also provides lucrative opportunities for TV companies, UEFA themselves and even the fans to profit massively from the increased competition that the new format brings. It has a lot of potential to succeed but also a lot of potential to fail. Only time shall tell whether this new format will be a successful addition to the greatest competition in world football, but the hope is, that the new format will only elevate the success of this year’s UEFA Champions League. 

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