Day: October 7, 2025

Originally known as the European Cup, and more recently the UEFA Champions League, it is the world’s most prestigious club competition. The tournament is contested by the champions (and, in some cases, runners-up) of the national leagues of Europe’s top footballing nations. It is the oldest and most successful club competition in international football, and has been won by an impressive list of elite teams including Real Madrid, Milan, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Manchester United, Ajax, and Juventus.

For the 2024-25 season, the UEFA Champions League was overhauled to replace the group stage with a new “league phase.” This expansion allows for thirty-six qualified clubs to compete in a single phase of four seeding pots where each team plays eight matches, playing four home and four away. At the end of the league phase, the eight highest-ranked teams will automatically advance to the round of sixteen, while clubs finishing ninth through twenty-four will face each other in a two-legged knockout play-off to join them.

The new format also saw the elimination of the away goals rule in the last 16 and quarter-final stages, and the introduction of one-legged semi-finals and a traditional two-legged final. The knockout phase play-off draw also sees a change, with a higher priority given to teams that beat the team they face in the league phase, rather than re-ranking each tie based on their overall ranking. This is designed to add a greater sporting incentive in the league phase, and also create more meaningful games in the semi-final and final rounds.

Esports tournament news is all about competitions where teams and individuals play video games for spectators. The events can be broadcast online via streaming services, cable and broadcast networks, and in person. They have become extremely popular around the world, especially in East Asia, where China and South Korea first licensed professional gamers in 2000, but are less common in Japan due to its broad anti-gambling laws.

There are several different governing bodies that oversee esports tournaments on a local, regional or global basis. Some, such as the Electronic Sports League, are a standalone organization that is independent from game publishers. Others are more integrated with the video game industry, acting as a trade group and public face for the sport.

Some of the most prominent esports tournaments take place in world-class arenas and attract millions of viewers. Some, such as the The International, are synonymous with grandeur and feature prize pools that can exceed $40 million. While the sport still has a long way to go before it is considered mainstream, esports are making an impact that goes beyond the millions of fans who watch the events on live video or in person. They are affecting economic growth, demographics, social engagement, job creation, and education. They are also revolutionizing the way people perceive video games as creative works worthy of copyright and intellectual property rights protection.