New Champions League: What Will the Swiss Model Lead to?

The experiment is risky but interesting.

The main European club competition for the 2024/25 season looks different from before. This is not a surprise, as it was announced back in May 2022 when UEFA approved the new "Swiss model" format. And now, the time has come for us to see it.

There are now 36 teams and 144 matches. Gone is the group stage, replaced by a "general stage" (or league stage). While traditionally teams played each other throughout the year and accumulated points, the revamped Champions League operates differently. The new system has many nuances, and UEFA's implementation adds even more complexity.

Let's delve into the new look of the premier European club tournament and the principles of the Swiss system in it.

Who will win the 2024/25 Champions League?

Manchester City

23/10

Real Madrid

3/1

Arsenal

9/1

Key Innovations in the Champions League

The most significant change is the elimination of the group stage. From the 2024/25 season, it will be replaced by a single stage with a unified league table for all teams. The number of participants increases from 32 to 36.

Four additional teams are selected based on the following criteria:

- The two best-performing countries in European competitions (those with the clubs achieving the highest cumulative results in the Champions League, Europa League and Conference League). For this season, they are Germany and Italy.

- The third-placed team from the fifth-ranked league in the UEFA national association rankings. This season, it is Monaco.

- An additional place will be decided through the “Champions Path” in the summer qualifying rounds. Previously, four teams qualified through this path, now five teams do, and a total of eight spots are up for grabs in the qualifying rounds.

Not only does the number of participants increase, but also the number of matches. Each team will play a minimum of eight games instead of six. Consequently, the total number of matches rises to 144 from 96. UEFA has also extended the duration of the initial stage: the general stage will run from September to January, instead of ending in December.

Each club will play four home and four away games, but always against different opponents. For example, if AC Milan travels to play Real Madrid at the Bernabéu, there will not be a return match at the San Siro. They will then play against other teams and will not face each other again in the league stage.

The top 8 teams automatically qualify for the knockout stage, teams finishing from 25th to 36th place are eliminated, and those finishing from 9th to 24th place play two matches (home/away) for a spot in the Round of 16—similar to the NBA play-in format. Thus, a team finishing 24th could potentially qualify for the knockout stage by defeating the 9th placed team over the two additional fixtures.

The format of the knockout stage remains unchanged—after the two-legged match between the “middle tier” teams, the Round of 16 begins, and the tournament proceeds as usual.

Here is a comparative overview of the key changes from the previous season.

From now on, the Swiss model will be implemented not only in the Champions League but also in the Europa League and Conference League. Each tournament will also feature 36 teams. The Europa League's format closely mirrors that of the Champions League, while in the Conference League, clubs will play six matches in the league phase instead of eight. The main good news for participants is that no team will be relegated from the top European competition (from the Champions League to the Europa League, or from the Europa League to the Conference League), which will positively affect the balance of power: a team like Bodo/Glimt in the Round of 16 will not face Ajax, and Slavia Prague will not encounter Milan.

Draw and Schedule

This is perhaps one of the most important and complex aspects of the new format. In the traditional Swiss system, each participant is assigned an opponent for the first round through a draw, often based on rankings, and thereafter, the schedule is determined by the principle of "play against those with the same number of points," while ensuring that teams do not face the same opponent twice. For example, if Arsenal wins the first round and Real Madrid draws, they are unlikely to meet in the second round—Arsenal will face a team with three points, and Real Madrid will face one with one point, and so on.

It's understood that at some stage, teams may have different point totals, so opponents are chosen from those closest in points. For instance, if Bayern Munich have 15 points after six rounds, their potential opponent might be a team with 16 or 14 points.

However, UEFA have altered this scheme.

Unlike the classic Swiss system with its uncertain schedule, in the new Champions League, each club will receive eight pre-determined opponents in the league phase.

Teams are distributed into four pots according to their UEFA club coefficient rankings, from strongest to weakest. Each club will then play two teams from each pot, resulting in a set of eight opponents.

As a result of this approach, the head-to-head factor will be completely eliminated when determining the final ranking of teams with the same number of points. The primary determinant will be goal difference, followed by goals scored, away goals scored, number of wins, number of away wins, and so forth, down to the club coefficient, which is listed 10th.

Additional Principles of the Draw and League Phase Scheduling:

- Teams will not play against opponents from their own country.

- A maximum of two teams from the same country can be drawn.

- No more than two consecutive home or away matches are allowed.

- Teams must play at home and away in the first two and last two rounds.

Thus, it is impossible to have El Clásico between Barcelona and Real Madrid in the league phase. If Madrid’s schedule already includes matches against Milan and Bologna, there will be no more Italian teams for the Spanish side.

Therefore, everyone knows their opponents in advance but not the exact timing and location — each opponent from their set of eight and the home/away status will be determined after each round.

Given the complexity of these details in the traditional draw format, most of the work will now be done by a supercomputer with all the algorithms programmed in.

The draw date is August 29.

Why the New Format Was Needed

It may seem puzzling why UEFA would remove a system that was already working well and replace it with something so complex.

The primary reason is, of course, money. Under financial fair play regulations, Europe’s football giants expressed dissatisfaction with the distribution of UEFA’s revenue, which led to the Super League venture in spring 2021. The introduction of the Swiss system is designed to appease these disgruntled clubs. The new format does not guarantee automatic participation in the Champions League, but it allows for more frequent matches between top teams and at earlier stages, generating significant revenue from viewership and ratings. Yes, there are only two top opponents from the first pot, but previously there were none.

If the idea works as intended and Florentino Pérez, who previously called the new format absurd, is satisfied, the Super League can be forgotten, and European football will remain unified, at least for a time. This is undoubtedly a positive outcome.

The Swiss system is also advantageous for weaker teams: every club plays through the league phase, increasing the chances to earn points with an expanded number of matches against relatively equal opponents, and the play-in allows even a team finishing 20th to reach the Round of 16. This is also a great benefit for superclubs if things don’t go as planned.

Pros of the Innovations: more Champions League matches, more high-profile games,  more revenue, more intrigue

Are there cons? Yes, and plenty of them.

UEFA has implemented only half of the Swiss system. One of its original features is randomness: participants do not know their next opponent until the current stage is fully completed, ensuring that winners play against winners and losers against losers. This element of unpredictability is missing in the new Champions League, where much will be known in advance from the draw, and there will be no total distribution of winners and losers. Consequently, there may be less intrigue and fewer super matches in the league phase, and the “Swissness” of the implemented system may seem somewhat incomplete.

Overcrowding of the schedule. Even Ballon d'Or nominees point to the excessive number of matches. Instances where Juventus has no healthy midfielders or Manchester United has all its centre-backs injured will become more common.

Some teams may still lose motivation. While teams near the 25th place have something to fight for, will those below 30th place expend much effort on matches against non-top teams? Partly for this reason, UEFA allocates guaranteed opponents from the first pot, but if a team is 35th in the Champions League and has a match against a direct rival in the league in two days, the coach may easily rotate the squad. The same applies to Manchester City, which has more matches in its calendar than the children of Pavel Durov.

Rather than a con, a caution: the new format must prove itself immediately. Football fans are conservative and very accustomed to the old ways, and they did not demand changes with pitchforks and torches outside UEFA’s headquarters. Changes were primarily needed by superclubs and the organisation itself to calm them down. Now fans will demand spectacle right away, and the Swiss system has only one chance to prove its worth in football.

How the 2024/25 Champions League Will Look

Let’s move from theory to practice and examine the details with specific examples.

Participants

29 teams have already qualified for the 2024/25 Champions League:

- England: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa

- Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atlético

- Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund

- Italy: Inter Milan, AC Milan, Bologna, Juventus, Atalanta

- France: PSG, Monaco, Brest

- Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord

- Portugal: Sporting CP, Benfica

- Belgium: Club Brugge

- Scotland: Celtic

- Austria: Sturm Graz

- Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk

An additional seven teams will be determined through the summer qualifying rounds. Why are there only seven qualifying teams instead of eight? It’s due to Real Madrid's victory in the final, which allowed Shakhtar Donetsk to qualify directly for the Champions League. Madrid’s qualification was already secured by their title in La Liga. The country whose team can gain this privilege is determined based on its position in the UEFA national association rankings.

Group Allocation

- Pot 1: Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, PSG, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona

- Pot 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta, Juventus, Benfica, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan (might end up in Pot 3 after qualification)

- Pot 3: Feyenoord, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven

- Pot 4: Monaco, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Brest

Pots 3 and 4 will be filled after the completion of the qualifying rounds. Teams with higher club coefficients will be placed higher. The group stage will feature winners from top pairings like Fenerbahçe vs. Lille and Rangers vs. Dynamo Kyiv.

After the draw, Real Madrid’s list of potential opponents might look something like this: Manchester City, Bayern Munich (Pot 1), Benfica, Bayer Leverkusen (Pot 2), PSV Eindhoven, Sporting CP (Pot 3), Aston Villa, Sturm Graz (Pot 4). Two teams from each pot, no more Spanish clubs, a maximum of two opponents from another country (Portugal and England) — all requirements met.

For Sturm Graz, the setup might be: Real Madrid, Barcelona (no more Spanish teams allowed), Bayer Leverkusen, Club Brugge, Feyenoord, a team from the qualifiers (not Austrian), Monaco, and Aston Villa.

Thus, we already “know” two of Bayer Leverkusen’s opponents (Real Madrid and Sturm Graz) — they still need to determine the remaining six. And so on, until each club has its personalised eight. All this complexity will be managed by artificial intelligence.

Schedule

The Champions League will traditionally start in mid-September, but the schedule shifts slightly from there:

- Matchday 1 September 17–19, 2024

- Matchday 2: October 1–2, 2024

- Matchday 3: October 22–23, 2024

- Matchday 4: November 5–6, 2024

- Matchday 5: November 26–27, 2024

- Matchday 6: December 10–11, 2024

- Matchday 7: January 21–22, 2025

- Matchday 8: January 29, 2025

Play-ins between teams ranked 9th to 24th: February 11–12 and 18–19, 2025

Round of 16: March 4–5 and 11–12, 2025

Quarterfinals: April 8–9 and 15–16, 2025

Semifinals: April 29–30 and May 6–7, 2025

Final: May 31, 2025

Up until Matchday 6, the calendar remains the same as it was before the cancelled group stage. The additional Matchdays 7 and 8 will take place during an exclusive week in January, during which only Champions League matches will be played, with no other European competitions.

The final is scheduled to be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich.

Champions League FAQ