How does the new Champions League ‘Swiss model’ format for 24/25 work?

The Champions League returns with a new ‘Swiss model’ this week, but do you know how it works? We can help.

How does the new Champions League format work?

It basically works as a giant league of 36 teams rather than eight groups of four. But as those 36 teams cannot possibly all play each other (even UEFA balked at that idea), each team will play eight other teams (four home, four away) in the league stage of the competition. This will create one massive Champions (mega) League from which teams will qualify either automatically or via a play-off for the next stage.

Was the Champions League draw random?

The 36 teams were divided into four pots (Pot 1 features Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, PSG, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Barcelona) and each team was drawn against two teams from each pot, including their own. This was to ensure that all 36 teams face eight teams of similar standard. Teams from the same nation were not drawn against each other unless there was a deadlock and that is the only solution.

Which Champions League pot are Man City, Arsenal, Liverpool and Aston Villa in?

Man City and Liverpool are in the top pot because of their high UEFA ranking, Arsenal are in Pot 2 because they spent one of the last five seasons out of Europe altogether, and Aston Villa have been confirmed in Pot 4. But to repeat, this makes no difference to the calibre of your opposition as all teams should face eight teams of a similar standard.

How many teams qualify from the Champions League league phase?

The top eight teams will qualify automatically for the last-16 knock-out stage. The teams that finish between 9th and 24th will play in a preliminary knock-out round over two legs in February to determine the other eight clubs in that knock-out phase. The final eight teams will drop out of European competition and not be relegated into the Europa League.

How does the Champions League knock-out phase work?

That last-16 phase is seeded so that those teams who automatically qualified will play against those teams who have been through a play-off to qualify. The remainder of the draw will at that point become clear as the draw will resemble a tennis tournament draw with every team able to plot their path to the final. So the higher you finish in the original league, the easier your draw through the knock-out stages. The top two teams from the league phase will not be able to play each other again until the final.

How many Champions League games will be played in 2024/25?

A team that finishes in the top eight of the league phase will play 15 games if they then reached the final.

The overall number of games in the tournament – from the league stage onwards – is rising from 125 games to 189 games. The league stage now stretches into January, while February will feature the play-offs between those teams who finish between ninth and 24th.

Why is it called the Swiss model?

Because it was first used at a chess tournament in Zurich in 1895 as a means to have a round-robin style tournament without the need for every competitor to play each other. But the actual Swiss model would see the draws made after every set of games according to results, while this version sees the draw determined before a ball is kicked. So it should actually be called the Leandro Shara System. Or the Pots System.

Is the new Champions League system going to be sh*t?

It certainly seems so.

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