The Champions League Format Debacle - Improvement Or Waste Of Time?

The Champions League Format Debacle - Improvement or Waste of Time?

The beginning of the 2024/25 season saw a huge change to the UEFA Champions League format, going from a group stage format to a league stage. Many have mixed opinions on the subject, some stating that it brings out better fixtures, others stating that it gives an even lower chance for the 'smaller' qualified teams to make it through to the knockout stages. These arguments have never really created a clear answer to the question, is the format change really an improvement or just a waste of time?

The Group Stage Format

The classic group stage format that everyone came to know and love started in 1991 with the rebrand into the UEFA Champions League. The footballing world had 33 years of this format before the change came last year, so it's not a surprise that people branded the league format change a failure when it was first brought into fruition due to the world being so comfortable, and who likes change, right?

This format saw 32 teams be sorted into eight groups, with no group having two teams from the same league. Throughout the group stage the sorted teams would play the opposition in their group both home and away, with the top two teams from the group going through to the knockout stages; third place would then drop down into the Europa League knockout stage.

This is bad. The format it has as of today works fine

— Real Talk Manchester City (@RealTalkMCFC) May 14, 2023

The good thing about this type of scheduling is that each side faces the same opponents twice; this keeps a consistent competitive balance, as it isn't random who you are facing, whereas the new format could have one team with eight hard fixtures and another with eight 'easier' fixtures. Going the other way, you could also argue that one team can get a really lucky group compared to having a hard time in the draw and being placed in the group of death.

There were so many climactic finale game weeks within the group stage, with groups of death going down to the wire. Every year it would get to the final week, and some groups would be neck and neck for the top spot, creating a spectacle for neutral and partisan crowds. However, this format would also make for a boring viewing in some cases, with the big sides qualifying early a lot of the time, which made the last few group games meaningless.

This format also only brought six games, whereas the new format brings eight, which can be taken either way. The clubs themselves will more than likely see this as a hindrance, as it means more travel, a higher chance of injury, and more time making the players play when they need rest. The fans, on the other hand, will often see this as a good thing to a certain extent, as they get to watch their football club play more fixtures. It also gives match-going fans a great chance to travel to more European grounds.

The League Format

Being introduced at the start of last season, this format hasn't had the chance to stand the test of time, so many people's opinions on it were very sudden, and they weren't giving this format a chance, branding it 'confusing'.

🚨| The NEW Champions League format commencing from the 24/25 season EXPLAINED… pic.twitter.com/5hVBFRHL2L

— CentreGoals. (@centregoals) May 14, 2023

This format brought in four extra teams into the mix, making the total 36. Every team combines into one large league table where they have eight randomised fixtures to try and gain the most points possible and qualify for the knockouts. 1st to 8th qualify directly, and 9th to 24th qualify for an extra qualifying round to try and make it into the round of 16 with the top eight.

With each club facing eight different opponents, this brings a higher chance of fans witnessing those high-profile clashes earlier on in the season - these games wouldn't usually happen in such a high quantity until the knockouts. The league phase also brings around a knockout playoff, which adds an extra round of excitement between the clubs placed 9th-24th, as there are new stakes for the clubs who didn't quite place high enough.

Some people have had a problem with this due to teams who finished in the top eight ending up getting a harder draw than teams who finished lower. For example, Liverpool placed 1st after winning seven out of their eight games; they ended up drawing PSG in the round of 16 and got knocked out by the eventual champions. Barcelona finished one place below Liverpool and drew Benfica, who finished the league phase in 16th. Whether this is just luck of the draw or an unfair result is a great conversation.

There are plenty of arguments for and against this format; it makes for great viewing with more games, but the table can be unrewarding to the lower opposition, with more high-level ties but less care for the players who have to put themselves through the extra effort of playing these added games.

Overall I don't think the league phase is as bad as some people make it out to be, but the group stage was also in a great place and historic in football; it didn't necessarily need to change. One thing I do definitely think it adds is a lot more drama on the final day with all the teams playing and the table being in such a limbo - this adds so much entertainment.