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.