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Champions League draw set for major overhaul after chiefs realise it would take FOUR HOURS and 900 balls to complete
A new seeding system will be used in the knockout rounds
THE Champions League draw is set for a new look after chiefs realised it could take four hours to complete using the current method.
Uefa draws are currently done manually with pots used to separate teams.
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But the Champions, Europa and Conference Leagues will see their formats revamped ahead of next season.
The 32-team group stage will go in favour of a 36-team mega league.
Sides will play eight different opponents before going into the knockout rounds.
Each club will be seeded in one of four pots and they must play two opponents from each pot.
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Uefa deputy general secretary Giorgio Marchetti has revealed a fully manual draw is no longer possible in the new format as it could take three to four hours to complete and 900 balls would be needed.
Therefore, a "hybrid" draw will be used that incorporates manually pulling teams out the hat and automated elements to speed up the process.
Uefa insist any sections that are computerised will be independently monitored to ensure draws are not rigged.
The exact system that will be used has not yet been revealed.
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In the new look European competitions, the top eight teams in the 36-team league phase quality for the Last 16.
They will also be seeded from one to eight in the knockout rounds in a tennis-style draw.
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And those that finished between 9th and 24th go into a play-off round to determine who progresses, with clubs placed 9th to 16th seeded so they can't face each other.
The bottom 12 sides are eliminated and there will be no dropping down competitions.
From the Last 16 onwards, the current format of home and away legs will remain in place.
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