All you need to know about new Champions League format

With the Champions League draw are scheduled to take place in Monaco later today (Thursday) here is all you need to know about the new format.

For the first time, the UCL format is getting a major revamp since its debut in 1992. The format is known as Swiss Model, which replaces traditional group stage.

What it brings to the table?

The new format will include more team, which means more matches and ultimately resulting in generating more revenue.

The older format featured 125 games in total, which has now jumped to 189. The extra 64 games would create more revenue and smaller clubs will get a larger share of the prize money than before.

Revenue spike

According to report a revenue between 2021 and 2024 season was around £3.13bn. It is set to increase substantially, experts say.

‘We are working on conservative and more optimistic projections in a range I would say between €4.6bn (£3.9bn) and €4.8bn (£4.1bn) in revenue,’ said Giorgio Marchetti, vice secretary general of UEFA.

The draw

The draw takes place on Thursday August 29 in Monaco at 5pm UK time. The number of teams have increased from 32 to 36 with each team playing four home and four away games between September and January.

The same will apply for the UEFA Europa League.

In the UEFA Conference League, each side will face six opponents only, one from each of the six pots.

Here is how it works: In the league phase, each team will be drawn again two teams from each of four pots.

Teams will be placed in pots, based on their individual club coefficient at the start of the season.

The majority of the draw will be done automatically. First a ball will be drawn from the bowl, then rest of draws will be via Artificial Intelligence.

The draw software

The draw software is provided by AE Live – a UK-based IT firm, the eight teams that side will face will be determined.

The software is programmed to factor in country protection – teams cannot face opponents from their country and can be drawn against a maximum of two sides from the same country.

It also designed to determine who plays home and away.

UEFA are said to be ‘confident’ that the draw is safe from any cyberattack.

The knockouts

The knockout stage has been designed in a way where the higher the team finish the easier opponent they would potentially get.

At the end of eight-game league stage, the top eight will advance directly to the round of 16, while for the remaining eight sides will be decided via knockout phase playoffs over two legs.

The winners will proceed into the next round.

The teams that finish between 25th to 36th are eliminated from all competitions, instead of dropping into the Europa League.

‘We simulated that qualification should be possible with an average of 7.6 points, which means two victories and two draws,’ according to Stephane Anselmo, UEFA’S head of competitions strategic development.

From the round of 16, it is business as usual with teams playing each other home and away until the final is played at a neutral venue.