UEFA Unveils New Champions League Format

The annual European club’s football competition better known as UEFA has announced a new Champions League competition format.

Naija News had reported earlier on Monday that twelve of football’s biggest clubs in Europe have defied worldwide backlash and officially announced the creation of the European Super League.

Despite their leagues and UEFA kicking against the move, the clubs have announced they have formed a new breakaway league, with each side set to immediately receive a share of £3billion.

Subsequently, UEFA revealed that the Champions League competition which is being contested yearly by top-division European clubs will now have a new format which will be introduced from 2024 with the number of clubs in the group stage increasing from 32 to 36.

Naija News understands that the new format will now have all 36 clubs come together into one instead of the usual system of four-team groups.

This online news platform understands that the new system was approved at an executive committee meeting of European football’s governing body in Switzerland. UEFA’s executive committee members are expected to give final approval to a new 36-team Champions League format latest on Monday (today).

According to a communique released after the meeting, the new format is expected to kick-off from 2024. The decision was said to have been delayed due to some clubs within the European Club Association (ECA) demanding a greater say on commercial matters for the new competition.

However, after meetings between the ECA board and UEFA’s club competitions committee on Friday, the path has now been cleared. UEFA will also take a final decision on host venues for Euro 2020. Bilbao, Dublin and Munich the three yet to be confirmed of the original 12.

The Champions League executive committee will also vote on whether to get rid of the current group system – where 32 teams are split into eight groups of four – and replace it with one 36-team league.