Champions League draw: New format explained as robot decides fixture list

Today marks the dawn of a new era for European football with the draw for the restructured Champions League. Football fans have become familiar with a 32-team format, where teams are drawn into eight groups of four.

The top two would progress to the last 16 while the third-place finisher dropped into the Europa League. However, from this season, UEFA has introduced a completely new format.

There will be an initial single 36-team league phase where each team faces eight different opponents before the knockout stage. Officially, UEFA aims to reduce the number of dead rubbers, pit big teams against each other earlier in the competition and place extra significance on finishing position in the league when it comes to the knockout draw.

Naturally, more games also means additional revenue. It’s hoped that this overhaul will help stave off any lingering threat of a breakaway European Super League, which was controversially suggested in 2021.

Draw explained

The draw process will also undergo a significant change. Traditionally, the names of teams, according to their seeding status, were hand-drawn. However, UEFA has deemed the traditional method of drawing teams unworkable due to the new structure. They claim that a hand-made draw would take up to four hours.

Teams will still be ranked according to their coefficient, but matches will now be randomly drawn by dedicated software instead of being hand-picked. UEFA assures that the automated draw will be independently audited regularly to prevent any allegations of rigging.

In terms of the draw’s mechanics, teams will be divided into four pots. For instance, when a team from pot one is picked manually, the software will randomly select eight opponents, two from each pot. The system will also randomly decide which side plays at home and away.

Knockout stage

Each club will play two teams from each pot at home and one away. Sides from the same country will be kept apart during the league phase. Each team will play a maximum of two opponents from another nation.

The top eight clubs in the league will automatically qualify for the last 16. Teams finishing ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff for a place in the last 16.

Sides ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from all competitions, with no consolation of a Europa League spot. The knockout round game will occur in mid-February, followed by the round of 16 in early March. The final will be held at Bayern Munich’s Allianz Arena on May 31.

Confirmed teams

Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester City will represent England in the Champions League, while Celtic will carry Scotland’s hopes. Although Premier League teams cannot face each other in the group stage, there could be a potential clash between an English side and Celtic.

Germany (Bayern, Bayer Leverkusen, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig and Stuttgart) and Italy (AC Milan, Atalanta, Bologna, Inter Milan and Juventus) have been awarded an additional spot each due to their clubs’ performances last season.

Defending champions Real Madrid will be joined by Barcelona, Atletico Madrid and Girona from Spain. France (Brest, Monaco and Paris Saint-Germain) will have three teams while the Netherlands (Feyenoord and PSV Eindhoven) has two.

Europe League and Conference League

The Europa League and Conference League will follow the same format as the Champions League, the only difference being that teams in the Conference League, teams will play six league games instead of eight.