There is one major change coming to the Champions League format in 2027

Martin Macdonald

• 14 Oct 2025 08:31 CDT
• 4 min read

News

There is yet another change coming to the Champions League format for the 2027/28 campaign.

The current format is already in its infancy as starting from the 2024/25 season a new league format was introduced, replacing the previous group stage.

UC3, the joint venture between UEFA and European Football Clubs (EFC, formerly European Club Association), stated plans to "imminently go to market with an innovative media, sponsorship and licensing rights strategy for the UEFA Men's Club Competitions cycle post 2027.

"At the heart of the strategy is the recognition that media markets are changing fast, with new global, digital-first entrants offering differentiated fan propositions, whilst established broadcast partners remain eager to ensure optimal visibility for the competitions across Europe and the world."

Though most of these changes will come behind the scenes with regards to things like broadcast rights, with Netflix poised to make a play for rights, there is one major difference on the on-pitch product.

At the moment, Matchday One of the Champions league returns over a Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, taking place one week before the Europa League and Europa Conference League to maximise the tournament's exposure.

The new plans will see the competition start with one showpiece, standalone match on the first Tuesday, with the defending champions facing another team at home. The remaining fixtures from Matchday One will take place on the Wednesday and Thursday.

UEFA have taken inspiration from the National Football League as at the beginning of each season in that sport, the winner's of the previous Super Bowl host an opponent in a standalone fixture on a Thursday before every one team plays.

Below you'll find an explainer of the current Champions League format.

How many teams compete in the Champions League format?

There was an increase to 36 teams competing in the Champions League from the 2024-25 season onwards. Previously, there has been 32 clubs in the competition, split into eight groups of four.

However, the group stages looked entirely different in 2024-25 as that round of the competition is called “the Champions League league phase.”

How are the extra Champions League spots be decided?

Slot One: The team who finishes third in the country in fifth position in UEFA’s Coefficient Ranking.

Slot Two: An extra qualifying spot through the Champions path of the Champions League’s qualifying process.

Slots Three and Four: Awarded to nations whose clubs achieve the best collective performance in the season before.

How will the group stage work in the new Champions League format?

Instead of being split into eight groups of four with the top two teams qualifying for the last-16, all 36 teams are in the same league competition.

Each plays eight matches in the league phase, with all eight matches against different opponents. Four of the games are played at their home ground, while four are played away.

How will qualification for the knockout stages work in the new Champions League format?

With all 36 teams in a league format (and every team playing eight matches), the end of the league phase leaves a convenient table, sorted by the number of points amassed.

The top eight teams in the league (those with the highest points tallies) automatically qualify for the last-16.

The teams from 9th to 24th place compete in two-legged play-offs to determine who qualifies for the knockout stages.

Those who finish between 9th and 16th are seeded in the league phase play-offs and face an unseeded team - a side that finishes between 17th and 24th.

The winner of each two-legged tie earns qualification to the last-16, where they face one of the top eight teams from the league phase.

From the round of 16 onwards, the Champions League format remains the same, with two-legged knockout matches leading to the one-game final held at a neutral venue.

The teams who finish from 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition, and they will not drop into the Europa League.

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