The future formula of the Champions League, the contours of which L'Equipe reveals this Tuesday morning before validation by UEFA on Wednesday, proposes to include more clubs, more dates and 100 more matches in total, to the horizon 2024-2025.
However, the body did not completely give in to pressure from the ECA, the association of the biggest European clubs, which, since 2019, called for a Superleague closer to a closed league: four groups of eight, of which the first six were automatically qualified for the next edition, regardless of their ranking in their national championship.
"This new format aims to safeguard the income that the big clubs bring to the competition and to prevent the big clubs from going towards a completely private league
(Editor's note: the Superligue)
, which would represent between 18 and 20 clubs," confided Jean -Michel Aulas at the Parisien, it's been a fortnight.
This private league would have the disadvantage of causing a split, and both FIFA and UEFA have reacted very strongly.
It would present a split of the biggest clubs, more downhill-climbs, more qualification via the domestic championships but simply a membership in a franchise.
"
So tomorrow, according to the British press, the new Champions League format should be announced, from 2024, with 36 clubs and 10 matches in the group stage https://t.co/d9Q0SOIEcI
- Pierre Rondeau (@ PierreR0ndeau) March 30, 2021
The president of OL considers that the future formula represents a good compromise: "The proposal made by UEFA, validated for the most part by the ECA, provides answers and opens the way to solidarity with the less important clubs.
There is a kind of ecosystem with the three European competitions.
We don't have the top 20 clubs in a private league and then all the others in other competitions.
Here are the main changes that the Champions League will undergo, from the 2024-2025 edition.
Three French clubs engaged, maybe four
In a format of 36 teams against 32 today, the major European nations, England, Spain, Germany and Italy each keep four clubs automatically qualified.
On the French side, the reform is rather favorable since three clubs would be invited, even a 4th via the preliminary rounds, against “two + one” engaged today - subject, however, that France remains 5th in the UEFA coefficient by then.
“This formula is good, says Aulas.
With an ability to attract more resources through the media but also for fans to have an even greater openness.
It would allow the 5th nation to have three automatically qualified, more likely two in the Europa League and one or two in the Europa League Conference.
It's an interesting format and one that needs to be pushed.
OL, if they participate, can meet any of the 35 other qualified teams.
Everything is possible in this new format.
"The winning clubs of the Champions League and the Europa League the previous season will also have a reserved ticket in the" 36 ".
A mini-championship and not a group stage
The competition will drop from 32 clubs to 36 at the start line.
Exit the eight pools of four and place a "Swiss system".
This consists of a championship comprising ten dry matches, five at home and five away, facing opponents drawn from within four hats.
Thus, shocks between top teams, resulting from hat 1, are foreseen from the initial phase.
At the end of the ten matches, the first eight of the rankings will be directly qualified for the 1/8 finals.
The sixteen teams classified between the 9th and the 24th place will play a round-trip jump-off, in order to designate the other eight eighth-finalists.
From the round of 16, the competition format remains unchanged, with round-trip confrontations until the final.
Many more matches
Each team entered in the Champions League will mechanically play more matches.
Any club eliminated from the group stage will have played at least ten matches against six in the current format.
In total, 180 matches will be held during the initial phase, almost double today (96).
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As for the champion club, it will have played 17 games against 13 today, or even 19 if it had to go through the jump-off at the end of the group stage.
The competition will give rise to 225 confrontations, which is 100 more games than in the current configuration.
