Europe · 7 min read
The Champions League league phase: 36 teams, eight games, one table
Since 2024-25 there are no groups. Every club is ranked in a single table and the draw is seeded by coefficient.
How the league phase works
Thirty-six clubs play eight matches each — four at home, four away — against eight different opponents. The opponents are drawn from four pots, so every team faces two clubs from each pot, and no club can play another from its own country.
All 36 results go into one table. The top eight go straight to the round of 16; clubs finishing 9th to 24th enter a two-legged play-off; clubs from 25th to 36th are eliminated with no Europa League safety net.
Why the change was made
The old group stage produced dead rubbers: by matchday five, a third of the groups were decided. A single table keeps more clubs alive longer and creates more matches between big clubs, which is what broadcasters pay for.
The cost is fixture congestion. Eight European matches instead of six, plus a possible play-off, adds up to four extra midweek games for a club that reaches the final.
The play-off and the bracket
The play-off is seeded: 9th plays 24th, 10th plays 23rd, and so on, with the higher-ranked club at home in the second leg. Winners join the eight seeded clubs in a fixed bracket that was drawn in advance.
That pre-drawn bracket means a club knows its potential path to the final in August. It also means the round of 16 can produce a repeat of last season's final in the first week of March.
Quick answers
Do fourth-placed teams still drop into the Europa League?
No. From 2024-25, clubs eliminated in the league phase are out of Europe entirely.
How are the eight opponents chosen?
Two from each of the four pots, drawn by computer with country protection applied.
What happens if clubs finish level on points?
Goal difference, then goals scored, then away goals, then wins, then the coefficient.