Explainer: Will a bigger Champions League be better?

The 2024-25 Champions League campaign launches this week under an expanded new 36-team format.

The fixtures for the pot 4 of the group stage of 2024-2025 UEFA Champions League football tournament. Photo by VALERY HACHE/AFP via Getty Images.

Does bigger mean better?

European football's elite competition has been revamped for the first time since 1992. Instead of 32 clubs in eight groups of four, 36 will now compete in a single league. Each team will play eight games, four home and four away, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the last-16 knockout stage and the clubs finishing from ninth to 24th place then facing a two-legged play-off to determine who will join them.