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The UEFA Champions League, as we know it, is about to change and it saw it last familiar group stage format played earlier this season. We won’t see another group stage scenario play out this way due to the changes to the current format, which will debut from the 2024/25 season.
The incoming format is known as the “Swiss” system and you’ve probably heard it mentioned a few times lately, but you might also be wondering what it is and what it will mean for you and your team.
Here’s everything you need to know:
Please explain this “Swiss” thing
First of all, we need to define exactly what the current format is. The current Champions League group stage sees 32 clubs divided into eight groups of four, with the top two teams from each group progressing to a knockout round of 16. The remaining field is then narrowed down over a two-legged round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals until a one-match final between the last two remaining teams, with the winner taking all.
From next season that will all be gone and a new structure will be introduced which will – in theory – result in more entertainment with fewer dead rubber matches between eliminated sides late in the current group stage, which just ended with four clubs taking three collect points or fewer over six football matches.
The new format, called the ‘Swiss’ system, will have 36 clubs in the group stage – so four more than the current model – and those teams will participate in one big table, which will now be known as the “League Stage” instead of the group stage.
Three points for a win and one point for a draw is still the scoring method and the matches will be arranged in a draw format with the 36 teams divided into four pots of nine and each club facing two teams from each of the other pots stands. Teams will play eight matches during this phase, up from six.
After eight matches, the top eight will progress directly to the round of 16, while the teams ranked ninth to 24th will enter a play-off round with each tie played over two legs. The winners of the play-offs also reach the round of 16, while the losers are eliminated along with the clubs that did not make the play-offs. At that point, the familiar knockout format returns and the round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final are the UCL roadmap that each participant will follow.
Visualize it for me…
Breaking it down into the simplest format:
- A “league” with 36 teams arranged according to one table.
- With eight matches played against two teams from four different pots.
- The top eight ranked team will advance to the regular UCL round of 16.
- Positions nine to 24 will enter a two-legged play-off to reach the round of 16.
- Eight play-off winners will advance to the UCL round of 16, while the losers will be eliminated.
- Positions 25 to 36 are excluded from all forms of European football this season.
- The familiar two-legged knockout format of round of 16, quarter-finals and semi-finals returns and produces two finalists.
Video: Explanation of the format
UEFA explains the format in this video:
Is this happening this season?
Yes, the 2024-2025 Champions League campaign will be the first ever to use this new ‘Swiss’ system, so we are currently witnessing the history unfolding as it is the last UCL edition to feature the traditional group stage of four teams, two of which advance.
Why change?
In theory, this will eliminate some of the less meaningful fixtures, which often feature clubs that have already been eliminated before the end of the current group stage. The “Swiss” model follows formats similar to popular events such as Esports, which has been making the transition to professional football for years. However, it’s not entirely accurate to argue this as solely an organizational adjustment: more teams means more games, and more games means more broadcast revenue. In short, more money for everyone involved, as the current competition format will increase by more than 60% with the new setup. This is not necessarily good news considering the worrying trend of serious injuries increasing before this burdensome new system is even in place.
So expansion…
Yes, from next year the Champions League will have more clubs and more matches, so there is no way around an expansion. Four new team slots in the “competition phase” mean more UCL qualifying spots, which logically brings newer and bigger viewers, which in turn brings us one step closer to a “super league” that traditional fanbases have been resisting for years.