The radical change of format of the Champions League to tennis style

In the new format, matches between clubs from the same country will be eliminated after the group stage, meaning Barcelona and Real Madrid, or Liverpool and Manchester City, could face each other in the first knockout rounds.

The knockout rounds of the Champions League are poised for seismic shifts that will upend the competition, sources told ESPN.

The changes will mimic the format of Grand Slam tennis tournaments and would be introduced from the 2024-25 season. Matches between clubs from the same country will be eliminated after the group stage, which means that Barcelona Y real Madrideither Liverpool Y Manchester Citythey could face each other in the first knockout rounds.

The sources of ESPN have revealed that the 24 clubs that advance to the knockout stages of the competition will have their way straight to the final seeds and pre-draw, largely based on their group standings, as will tennis stars such as Roger Federer Y Novak Djokovic in tournaments like Wimbledon.

The top two teams from the group stage will not be able to meet in the knockout rounds until the final, as they will be on opposite sides of the draw.

It’s all part of a revamp that will start from the 2024-25 season, expanded from 32 to 36 teams as a “Swiss-style” league table instead of four-team groups. Sources have told ESPN that the UEFA they have yet to ratify this new format for the knockout rounds, but they are leaning toward implementing the tennis-style format.

In a major departure from the existing system, sources revealed to ESPN plan features:

– A final 36-team group stage table, ranking teams from 1 to 24 based on their performance

– Teams ranked 1-8 in this group stage table enter the round of 16, as do the group stage winners in the current format.

– The teams ranked 9th to 24th play a playoff elimination round to reach the round of 16 and the teams that finish 25th to 36th will be eliminated entirely.

– The knockout will be split in two. The top-performing clubs in the group stage, ranked 1st and 2nd, will be drawn into positions at the opposite end of the group, thus not being able to meet until the final.

– Teams ranked 3rd & 4th, 5th & 6th and 7th & 8th will also be paired up and have set positions in opposite halves of the bracket, determined by the draw.

No decision has yet been made on the exact format of the playoff knockout round draw, although the clubs ranked 9th and 10th, 11th and 12th, 13th and 14th and 15th and 16th will be paired up and drawn at set places in opposite halves. of the key. The eight teams that lose in the knockout round of the playoffs will be eliminated from Europe entirely, without qualifying for the round of 16 of the playoffs. Europe League.

What is not certain is how those ranked 17-24 would be drawn. One option is to pair these clubs as well, which would mean ranks 9 and 10 would play at rank 23 or 24, but UEFA could still opt for a draw open at this stage.

The UEFA need to find a backup solution in case of a deadlock situation like a political standoff, for example, if Russian clubs are reinstated and on a path that leads them to face a team from Ukraine. Russian clubs are currently banned from competing in Europe after the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The calendar will also be renewed, with the group stage of the Champions being played in eight of the 10 between weeks reserved for European football. The Europe League (September) and the Europa Conference League (December) will each have a series of separate games in the two bye-half weeks.

Sources told ESPN that both the group stage of the Champions League like that of the Europe League they will be completed a month later, at the end of January, while the Europa Conference League, which has two games less in the group stage, will end in December.

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The radical change of format of the Champions League to tennis style