Last year, some of the top clubs in European football proposed a new European Super League. Due to the reaction from fans, pundits, clubs, and players, the idea was scrapped.
However, in the first week of March 2022, Javier Tebas, the boss of La Liga claimed Barcelona, Juventus, and Real Madrid were at it again. They were the three clubs that did not apologise and step back from the idea of a Super League, so it was little surprise to see them involved.
The deciders 👊#MondayMotivation | #UCL— UEFA Champions League (@ChampionsLeague) March 7, 2022
The deciders 👊#MondayMotivation | #UCL
However, as if by coincidence, as soon as the rumours started to circulate regarding the European Super League, UEFA pushed details of a new format for the Champions League.
In March 2021, the idea of changing the Champions League format was raised, including a 10-match first phase. Fast forward to 2022 and UEFA were keen to announce further details on what to expect in the format from the 2024/25 season onwards.
The group stage of the Champions League will be replaced by a 36-team league table format. This differs from the current set-up which has groups of 4 teams, and the top 2 teams from each progressing to the knockout stages having played each other team in the group home and away.
The new, 36 team format will see 4 more teams participate in the group stage and lead to 10 matches in total, for every team in the group.
The idea, like the proposed European Super League, is more of the big teams will play against each other. The top eight teams in the group will advance automatically to the round of 16, while the teams between 9th and 24th will enter a playoff round.
Teams who finish 25th or lower will be eliminated from the Champions League and there will be no entry to the Europa League competition.
The knockout stages will continue in the same format as they do currently, with teams playing over two legs to determine the winner up until the final.
The main ideas behind the proposal are to see the top clubs in Europe face each more often and for every result to count, with just one league table in the competition. The Europa League and the Europa Conference League will also change to follow the same format as the Champions League.
It is significant the new format of the Champions League has been highlighted again this week when discussions of the European Super League have resurfaced.
The single league in the group stage is like a super league in many ways, meaning Barcelona could face Juventus, Paris Saint-Germain, Manchester City, and Bayern Munich in the first phase of the competition.
This is something that would never happen in the current format. However, the future of the teams will be protected due to the number of teams progressing to the knockout stages, either automatically or via the playoffs.
UEFA will be keen to continue pushing their changes to the Champions League format as, according to Tebas, Barcelona, Real Madrid, and Juventus get together in another attempt to form a European Super League.