Everything you need to know about the new ‘Swiss model’ Champions League

Some say Uefa’s format gamble offers more excitement, others feel it serves the interests of Super League rebels

A view of the Champions League trophy

How will the new format work?

This is a high-stakes experiment from Uefa, implemented initially for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle. The old group stage has been replaced by a single 36-team league table in which each team will play eight matches against as many different opponents, four at home and four away. It is known as a “Swiss model” and will shake down into a top eight, who all qualify directly to the knockout stage, with a further 16 sides contesting a playoff round in between. The teams finishing between 25th and 36th will be eliminated when the league phase concludes in January. The knockouts will look familiar, a round of 16 funnelling toward next May’s final in Munich, and they will be bracketed so each team can plot its potential path.