GAME CHANGER
‘Super league by another name’ fume fans as Uefa confirm new Champions League format that is ‘ruining’ football
A host of changes are set to be introduced
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UEFA'S new Champions League format has been slammed by fans for "ruining" football.
European football's governing body have confirmed the new layout for the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
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The changes are set to come into effect from the start of next season.
Uefa’s Premier competition will be extended to 36 teams from 32 for the 2024-25 season.
However, fans are unconvinced by the changes and have even compared the new format to the failed European Super League.
One angry supporter wrote on X: "Super league by another name."
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Another added: "They’re ruining the beautiful game."
A third fan also commented: "So it’s the Super League in disguise."
Meanwhile, one more said: "Basically the Super League."
The new system will see 36 teams playing in the main part of all three competitions.
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Instead of eight groups of four clubs in the initial phase, there will be a new “league” format.
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Each club will play eight matches in the opening phase - against seeded opposition, in a system designed to ensure that teams play opponents of similar difficulty.
The format will be mirrored across all three competitions, except for six matches instead of eight in the Conference League.
The top eight teams in the “final” table will automatically go through to the last 16, where they will be joined by the eight play-off winners of ties between the sides placed ninth to 24th in the table.
Despite there being just eight matches in the opening phase, European matches will be spread over 10 midweek slots.
The Europa League and Conference League will each have a week when matches can be played across Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday as the standalone competition being played.
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The 2024/25 Champions League will also see the first implication of two additional qualifying spots.
These are to be awarded to the nations that are top of the “country coefficient” chart each season.
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That is a table based on the results of a nation’s teams in all three European competitions.
The total points earned by every nation’s clubs - with bonus points for reaching certain stages plus match-related points - are divided by the number of sides in European competitions.
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