How will the new format work?
This is a high-stakes experiment from UEFA, initially implemented for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle. The old group stage has been replaced with a single, 36-team league schedule where each team plays eight games against eight different opponents, four home and four away. Known as the “Swiss model,” this will result in eight teams qualifying directly for the knockout stage, with 16 teams competing in a play-off round. The teams placed 25th and 36th will be eliminated when the league stage concludes in January. The knockout rounds will look familiar, with a round of 16 leading to a May final, this time in Munich, and will be split so that clubs can plot their likely path.
Why was it implemented?
More broadly, Europe’s top clubs wanted to increase the intensity of the supposedly glittering ties. Discussions had been underway for several years; the original version, which would have included reserving two places for teams based on historical performance, rather than recent success, was scrapped in 2022 after unrest among lower-ranked clubs.
Under the new system, largely agreed by the Premier League rebels before their breakaway bid in 2021, each side is guaranteed two games against teams from their own group. That will be music to the ears of the big names in Group A, who believe that games against each other will bring in punters and money.
What would make a new format successful?
Perhaps these big games will generate enough excitement to banish any fresh Super League fears, keeping the giants happy while offering enough crumbs to those further down. Perhaps games between those in the lower divisions will also ensure some of the lesser-known names have a fighting chance of making it to the final when the final 18 fixtures are played simultaneously in Round 8. On such a big schedule, with relatively few games played, a win or two could push Shakhtar Donetsk or Brest into contention well into 2025.
What are the possible disadvantages?
Football is played enough these days that playing 144 games to eliminate 12 teams may prove unwise. While each round of the league will feature one or two important games, it is worth asking whether these games will be risky enough to be truly interesting. There must also be a question about whether there are enough truly good teams in Europe to produce the kind of performance UEFA hopes for, given the increasing concentration of wealth and resources among a few.
While the bloated league table, and the relatively small number of points available in eight games, should allow for plenty of action on the final day of January, there may not be much excitement for fans in discovering whether their team finishes 10th or 11th, even if there are knockout benefits. Perhaps the biggest question of all is whether this new, expanded format will quickly find the captive audience it needs.
How will the draw be done?
A new hybrid concept will replace the old method of picking balls from bowls. Each team will be hand-picked before a software programme designed by AE Live, a technology company that works with a range of major sports organisations, selects their eight opponents. No club may play against another team from its domestic league or play more than two matches against teams from a given country. Fans watching the games on Skyscanner can rest easy: the fixture list, including the order of play, will not be published until Saturday.
After promoting the newsletter
Does this make the cloud vulnerable to cyber attack?
“We take cybersecurity incredibly seriously,” said Dave Gill, CEO of AE Live. “This is obviously a sensitive issue. I’m reluctant to go into the details of what we do but I can assure you that we’ve taken every step we can to make sure this is as secure as possible.” Gill said his company was attacked while working on the 2022 World Cup draw in Qatar for FIFA following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. “We’ve seen it. We’ve done risk assessments and put precautions in place,” he said.
Don’t do these extra games. Does this add pressure to an already busy calendar?
On Wednesday, Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA’s deputy general secretary and director of football, pointed out that the original plan called for 10 group stage matches. That number has been reduced, but clubs and players will surely be keen to avoid the two-legged tie in February. And if anyone ends up unhappy, whose fault is it? “The need to play regular games in Europe comes from the clubs, not UEFA,” Marchetti said. The message was clear: don’t blame us for fixture congestion or the effects of the workload, blame those who wield real power at the moment.
Will this form be locked forever?
Not at all. Everything remains open for discussion in the 2027 cycle onwards. While he has reinforced his belief that UEFA have found a system that works for everyone, Marchetti did not commit to its long-term future when given the chance. There are figures in elite football who genuinely believe that this format offers a viable way forward. Likewise, there are those who see it as a bridge to something different. The mid-sized clubs in the draw will surely be keen to achieve a run of last-24 finishes, at least, in the era of the Swiss model. The overarching hope, for much of Europe at least, is that it can block any further attempts to create a Super League.
The draw Thursday The live broadcast will be online via UEFA website and YouTube channel From 5pm GMT.
“Infuriatingly humble internet trailblazer. Twitter buff. Beer nerd. Bacon scholar. Coffee practitioner.”
