mini-champions, play-offs, draws… Understand everything in the new competition format – Libération

2024-09-17 18:55:30

Champions Leaguedossier

Gone is the traditional eight pool system before the round of 16. “Liberty” explains what is changing in the 2024-2025 season of the first competition of European football, which begins this Tuesday, September 17.

At 70, you have a new look. The Champions League, the new edition of which begins this Tuesday, September 17, is entering a new season in this 2024-2025 season. The competition which brings together the best teams in Europe will use the renewal defined in May 2022 by the executive committee of the association that organizes it, UEFA. More teams, a pool, a partial practice draw… We explained the results of this reform without equal in two decades.

A mini-championship extends to 36 teams

Enough to shake up the regulars. It is played in the traditional eight teams of four teams, the format which has been used since the 1999-2000 season. Last year again, 32 teams qualified automatically or after the preliminary rounds were divided into these groups, each of them played the first three legs and the second leg to the same groups, then the first two groups in each group went to round 16. length. for knockout matches. The party was overturned in the final table of the Europa League, the small European cup.

From now on, C1 increased to 36 teams, each first played eight matches in a mini-championship called “League stage”, which will last from September 17 to January 29. According to UEFA explanation on your websitegroups “will no longer face three opponents twice – home and away – but eight different teams, playing half of these matches at home and the other half away.” The reason: “Allow all teams to play more tournaments”… and to attract more viewers by increasing the number of popular posts, for the benefit of large groups, guaranteeing higher ticket prices.

Four caps and sixteen matches

To determine which team will face each other in this first round, UEFA will draw opponents from four caps, and each team will face two teams from each cap, that is eight different teams. Based on their results during these eight matches, 36 teams will be divided in a table, which, according to UEFA, must be published. “no danger until the last evening.”

🚨 Official! TOMORROW DES CHAPEAUCHAPEAUX POURPOURLEETIRAGEAUUSORT LIGUEPIONS DESPIONES S! 💙💜

Draw this Thursday at 6 pm. 🔮

A quick reminder of the rules for drawing the new LDC format:
▫️ 8 matches against… pic.twitter.com/KcOBwxVSss

– Actu Foot (@ActuFoot_) August 28, 2024

The first eight teams in the table will qualify directly for the round of 16 … While the teams divided between the 9th and 16th positions will play two matches against those between the 17th and 24th positions, “with home advantage in the second leg.” Duels which must provide more uncertainty about the composition of the final table. The eight teams that are eliminated during the play-offs will move to the lower level, in the Europa League.

Once the sixteen teams have qualified, the tournament will resume as usual, with two round-robin races, until the final, scheduled this year on May 31, 2025 in Munich.

An ever more sustained pace

The total number of Champions League matches per year thus increased from 125 last year to 189 now. Enough to increase the distribution of TV rights, at the risk of harming the health of athletes. Therefore, a team that finishes first in the mini-tournament and that continues to the final will play a total of 15 matches in C1.

But if this same team was in 10th place and therefore had to go through the playoffs before reaching the final, it would have played 17 matches. That’s at least 360 more minutes, for education. the same, than the previous editions, where 13 matches will be played… Although the infernal speed of the matches has been criticized for many years by many football players, including players who are tired. at the end of the season, and those who fear an increase in injuries.

Drawing practice in part

For this Thursday’s ceremony, UEFA also reformed its drawing process, which has been criticized in recent years. First, a ball with 100 names on it will be hand-picked from one of the four bowls placed on the stage. Then the software, developed by sports data specialist AE Live, will determine live the eight opponents that each team has drawn. Two requirements must be met: no clash between teams from the same country, and no more than two teams from the same national league as opponents.

This automation is forced by the complexity of the type of printing, which would take three hours if it had to be done entirely by hand. UEFA promised a process “integrate”, with automation. “UEFA does not contribute to the development of codes by AE Live”, sworn Wednesday August 28 the deputy secretary of the body, Giorgio Marchetti.

Another modified European competition

C1 is not the only one to experience its transformation. The Europa League (C3) and the Champions League (C4) are also affected by similar changes. The two competitions will increase to 36 teams, and one mini-championship each. According to UEFA, each team that is qualified in C3 will play “Eight matches” against “Eight different opponents at the league level”, while C4, will be “six matches and therefore six different opponents at the league level”.

The dates are unchanged

UEFA says that in the Champions League, “all matches before the final will continue to be played midweek”, Tuesday and Wednesday, “While the final will continue to take place on Saturday.” As for the Europa League and Premier League games, they will always be played on Wednesdays.

As in the Champions League, the matches at the Europa League level take place between September and January, while the matches in the Conference League “will play between September and December.” Moreover, “Each of the three UEFA club competitions will have an exclusive match week, with two other competitions not scheduled during that week.” Therefore, during its dedicated week, the Champions League will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the Europa League on Wednesday and Wednesday, and the Conference League on Wednesday.

Update Tuesday September 17, the day of the resumption of the Champions League.