The draw for the revamped Champions League can be held in Monaco on Thursday.
Here’s a take a look at the brand new format and the way the draw will work.
The conventional group-stage format, that includes eight swimming pools of 4 groups every, has been scrapped.
In its place is a 36-team league section. Instead of six video games every within the previous format, groups will now play eight matches – 4 at house and 4 away – towards two opponents from every of the 4 seeding pots.
The prime eight groups will qualify mechanically for the Round of 16, whereas groups ending ninth to twenty fourth will enter a brand new knockout-phase play-off spherical to determine the ultimate eight Round of 16 berths.
Teams ending twenty fifth and decrease can be eradicated; they are going to now not drop right down to the Europa League.
The identical format can be used within the Europa League, with the Conference League adopting an analogous construction, besides groups will play solely six preliminary matches as a substitute of eight.
UEFA believes this format will supply a extra compelling spectacle, with extra matchups between prime groups at an earlier stage than within the previous format.
League placement may also affect a group’s route by the knockout section, including additional significance to matches even when qualification is already assured.
Clubs will profit from further matchday income, with at the least two additional video games and the potential for two extra in the event that they advance to the knockout-phase play-offs.
UEFA hopes the brand new format can be standard with golf equipment and followers and assist deter any menace of a revived European Super League.
Rather than the guide draw beforehand used, UEFA will now make use of a hybrid draw. Each of the 36 groups will nonetheless be drawn manually, working by the 4 seeding pots from prime to backside. However, drawing opponents can be performed digitally, taking solely seconds per group.
The know-how UEFA makes use of will observe sure rules, reminiscent of retaining groups from the identical nation aside till the knockout-phase play-offs and making certain not more than two opponents from one nation within the league section.
UEFA anticipates the hybrid draw will take about the identical time – 35 minutes – because the previous guide draw, estimating {that a} absolutely guide draw may take properly over three hours.
While the Champions League draw takes place on Thursday, the scheduling of matches can be confirmed on Saturday, with the Europa League and Conference League attracts occurring on Friday.
UEFA has arrange a tennis-style knockout section to make sure that groups ending first and second within the league are saved aside on reverse sides of the draw till the ultimate, in addition to groups ending third and fourth, fifth and sixth, and seventh and eighth.
This is why each level might be essential as much as the ultimate matchday, even for groups that can’t end exterior the highest eight.
For the primary time, two groups have certified by way of European Performance Spots (EPS). These spots are awarded to at least one group from every of the 2 international locations that carried out finest within the earlier season’s UEFA competitions. Italy and Germany have been final season’s top-performing international locations, so the spots this season have gone to Bologna and Borussia Dortmund.
Another innovation is that every of the three UEFA males’s membership competitions may have one “exclusive week,” with no matches performed within the different two competitions that week.
For the Champions League, the unique week is Matchday 1, with video games on Sept. 17, 18, and 19. The Europa League’s unique week can also be its first match spherical on Sept. 25 and 26, whereas the Conference League’s unique week is its remaining spherical of league-phase video games on Dec. 19.
There can also be more cash to be distributed among the many golf equipment within the Champions League league section – €2.4 billion ($2.6 billion) this season in comparison with €2 billion in 2023-24. However, the brand new determine can be shared amongst 36 golf equipment somewhat than the 32 beforehand.
Source: www.dailysabah.com