The Champions League is the premier competition in the world of soccer. The tournament brings together some of the finest clubs in Europe and arguably in the entire world. Its history is a symphony of legends and achievements and it has become one of the biggest sporting events in the world. The competition attracts huge crowds and rakes in billions of dollars worth of prize money for UEFA. The tournament has witnessed the evolution of soccer and is a symbol of the sport’s continued rise.
The current format of the competition sees 32 teams split into eight groups of four and the top two sides in each group progressing to the knockout phase where they are whittled down over a series of two-legged matches through quarterfinals, semifinals and a single-game final. However, from this season there will be a new structure in place which has been described as a radical revamp of the tournament.
From 2024 onwards the competition will feature 36 teams who will play each other twice over a two-leg period in a league table. The four best teams in that phase will qualify automatically for the next round through their association coefficient while those who finish in positions five to 24 will face a two-legged play-off to determine the final qualifiers. Those that reach the play-off will be seeded according to their final league-phase position. It is believed that there will also be a change to how ties are broken in the knockout phase with the away-goals rule being scrapped and extra time being played if the aggregate score is tied.