UEFA Makes Updates
The UEFA Champions League is a popular annual football (or soccer) competition of the top European teams. And in this 2024/2025 season, UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) has made significant changes to the Champions League, specifically in the competition’s format.
Previously, UEFA sorted 32 teams into eight groups of 4, using seedings to determine which teams were placed in which groups. UEFA called this phase the “group stage.”
However, starting this season, there will be 36 teams that are not divided into groups but instead organized into a league format, also called the “Swiss model,” at the beginning stage of the competition. This is now called the “league phase.” Each team will face eight other teams (four at home and four away games), which will be decided through drawing.
As it’s usually been, teams earn 3 points when they win, 1 point when they draw (or tie), and no points if they lose. And like regular league football, teams are ranked based on the total points they’ve gained after a certain number of matches (in this case, 8).
By the end of the league phase (which ends on January 29th), the clubs ranked in the top 8 of the table will be guaranteed entry into the Round of 16. As part of the new changes, sides in the 9th to 24th position will enter a playoff round. The clubs ranked 9th to 16th will be drawn to play against clubs ranked 17th to 24th of the 36 positions. The playoff winners will then be given entry to the Round of 16. Unfortunately, the bottom 12 clubs of the league phase will be disqualified from the UEFA Champions League.
Unlike past years, clubs will not be dropped into the UEFA Europa League, the second-tier annual European club competition. To determine the winner of the Champions League, the remaining teams will continue to go through the knockout stages as usual.
League Phase Surprises
Fans would assume that the most popular European Clubs are in the top 10 of the table. Shockingly, that’s not the case.
Real Madrid, the only European club to have the most (15) UEFA Champions League titles, is ranked 20th due to three of the six matches so far, resulting in losses against Liverpool FC, Lille OSC, and AC Milan.
Real Madrid: UEFA Champions League Winners of the 2023/2024 Season
Manchester City, the team that won the English Premier League four times in a row and their first UCL back in the 2022-2023 season, placed 22nd due to two wins, losses, and draws in their last 6 league stage matches. Their failure to seize three points against Portuguese side Sporting Lisbon and Italian side Juventus has astounded many Manchester City and football fans. Additionally, Feyenoord’s late comeback to draw 3-3 with City has added more pressure on Pep Guardiola and his team, especially during this massive drought of wins in domestic and European competitions.
Teams ranked 17th to 24th after Matchday 6 | Manchester City and Real Madrid in play-off places for the knockout phases
Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), winners of the French Ligue 1 ten times in a row, are 25th in the table just before Christmastime. They have yet to win their first UEFA Champions League title and the hopes for one this season may have already disappeared. Luis Enrique’s side has only managed to sneak in two wins against Girona FC and RB Salzburg. At the same time, matches against Atlético de Madrid, Bayern Munich, Arsenal FC, and PSV Eindhoven have led to draws and losses.
Meanwhile, French sides Lille OSC and Stade Brestois 29 (or Brest) have made it into the top 10. Brest made its UCL debut this 2024-2025 season and won 4 of the 6 matches in the league phase. Lille has returned to the UCL this season, the last time being in the 2020-2021 season. They’ve also snatched 4 wins out of the 6 matches.
After Jürgen Klopp’s farewell to the club and their disappointing disqualification in the quarterfinals of the Europa League last season, Arne Slot and Liverpool FC have managed to win all six of the league stage matches so far!
Last season, FC Barcelona and their manager Xavi, proved incompetent in European competitions after getting knocked out by PSG in the UCL quarter finals. But, Xavi’s dismissal and FC Barcelona’s appointment of Hansi Flick as head coach have led them to be ranked 2nd in the league phase.
Top 8 clubs, as of the moment, guaranteed entry to the Round of 16
Conclusion
There are two remaining matches in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League. Anything can happen and that’s what makes watching the UCL so exciting! Stay tuned for the knockout stages!
