We explain the details of the updated Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
From the 2024/25 season, UEFA introduced a new format for holding European cups – Champions League, Europa League and Conference League.
We tell you what will change in the tournament draw and what Ukrainian clubs should prepare for.
A single league instead of a group stage
Earlier, each of the European tournaments contained a group stage, but now it will be replaced by a single league format.
The number of participants in the main stage of all European competitions will increase from 32 to 36. Instead of eight groups of four teams in the new format of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League, all 36 clubs will play in one division.
Each team in the main round of the Champions League and Europa League will play eight matches with different opponents (four at home and four away), in the Conference League – six matches (three at home and three away).
Before the draw, all teams will be divided into baskets according to their UEFA coefficients. Participants of the Champions League and Europa League will receive 2 opponents from 4 different baskets. In the Conference League, teams will be divided into 6 baskets and each will play one match against an opponent from each basket.
Who goes to the playoffs and the further format
The eight best teams of the main stage of each of the European tournaments will directly go to the 1/8 finals. The clubs that take places from 9th to 24th will play paired play-off matches for reaching the 1/8 finals. The rest will finish their performance in European cups. There will be no more transfers between tournaments (from the Champions League to the Europa League, from the Europa League to the LC).
In the play-offs, the teams that take places 9th to 16th will be seeded, and those from 17th to 24th will be unseeded. Then in the 1/8 finals, places 1st to 8th will be seeded, and the play-off winners will be unseeded. The seeded teams will play the return matches at home.
Starting from the 1/8 finals, the play-offs of the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League will be held according to the same scheme as before – two-legged ties, the final will consist of one match.
What will be the match schedule
The revolutionary changes will also affect the tournament calendar. The last, 7th and 8th, rounds of the Champions League and the Europa League will take place in January 2025. The Conference League will end with the sixth round in December.
Each of the three club tournaments will have one exclusive game week, when matches from the other two tournaments will not be held.
In standard weeks, Champions League matches will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday, Europa League and Conference League matches on Thursdays. In the Champions League exclusive week, matches will be played on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. In the Europa League exclusive week, matches will be played on Wednesday and Thursday. In the Conference League exclusive week, matches will be played on Thursday.
In the last round of the main stage of each tournament, all matches will be played simultaneously.
When and how will the draw take place
Starting from this season, an automated computer system will be used during the draw for the European Cups; balls will no longer be drawn manually.
The draw for the main stage of the Champions League will take place on August 29 at 19:00 Kyiv time, the Europa League – on August 30 at 14:00, and the Conference League – on August 30 at 15:30.
Which Ukrainian clubs will take part in the tournaments
In the Champions League, Ukraine will be represented only by Donetsk “Shakhtar”, which automatically received a ticket to the main round. During the draw, the “miners” will be in the second basket.
Kiev “Dynamo”, which failed to qualify for the Champions League, will play in the Europa League. Oleksandr Shovkovskiy's team will be seeded from the third basket during the draw.
Kryvbas still has a chance to play in the Conference League, but to do so, Yuriy Vernydub's team needs to beat Spanish Betis in the playoffs. In the first match, the Kryvyi Rih club lost to the La Liga representative with a score of 0:2, the return match will take place on August 29 in Seville.