Champions League new format, table standings, and fixtures to look out for

Pep Guardiola Carrying the Champions League trophy

Di new format of di Uefa Champions League go start dis Tuesday, and e go be a very different format to wetin di UCL wey football lovers across di world bin dey used to.

Champions League na di second biggest and most glamorous football compettition for di world afta di Fifa World Cup.

Top football clubs for European kontris na dem dey take part for di tournament wey dey start from September and end for May of di next year.

Dis 2024/2025 season, Uefa don bring in many changes to di ogbonge competition and dis article na to informate you on wetin to expect as di tournament start today.

36 teams instead of 32 and no groups

Bifor bifor, na 32 teams from Europe top kontris dey start di Champions League, and dem go dey divided into eight groups of four teams each.

Each team for di group go play six matches home and away, and at di end, di top two go qualify for di round of 16, di third go move down to di Europa League and di last for di group go comot kpatakpata.

But now e don change. Na 36 groups go start di tournament and e no get any groups.

Di first stage of di competition go be in a league format, which mean to say evri team go dey climb or drop from di table depending on dia performance.

Each team go play against eight different opponents – four home games and four away games. Normally, a win dey carry three points and draw na one point.

Afta di eight matches, di teams wey dey from number one to eight on di table, go qualify automatically for di round of 16.

Di teams wey dey from number nine to 24 go play anoda knockout play-off round wit each oda wia di winners go also qualify for di round of 16 and di losers go comot for di competition.

Teams wey finish from number 25 to 36 afta di first eight games go dey eliminated. No more teams dropping from di Champions League to Europa League, or from Europa to Conference league.

Dis new format na di same thing for di Uefa Europa League and di Uefa Conference League. Di only difference be say di first stage of di Conference league na six matches instead of eight.

From di round of 16, di tournament go return to wetin fans bin dey used to – a home and away fixture between two teams to qualify for di next stage until di final match wey go be only one leg for a neutral ground.

More match days

Normally, di days for Uefa Champions League na Tuesday and Wednesday, but now UCL matches go also dey on Thursdays.

Europa League matches wey bin dey happen for only Thursdays go now be on Wednesday and Thursdays. While Conference League matches go remain majorly on Thursdays, although few matches go dey on Wednesdays.

All together, di numba of games for di Champions league go rise from 125 to 189 – an addition of 64 matches.

Wetin stakeholders tok

Calrence Seedorf wey be former Netherlands international and former Champions League winner wit Ajax and Real Madrid tok say im bin no get any problem wit di former UCL format, “but as dem don decide to make some changes, I think we get to give dem di time to see weda e go work out”.

“In life, e dey nice to create expectation, but for sure e go get some interesting benefits for di fans,” e tok.

Arne Slot, Liverpool manager say: “E dey clear say if you wan finish for di first eight you go need a lot of points. Di only thing I like about di new format na say evri night you go get beta fixture to watch on television.”