Out with the group stage
The Champions League moved away from its long-standing group-stage format, replacing eight groups of four teams with a single expanded league phase involving 36 clubs. Every club in this phase plays a set number of matches against different opponents drawn from the full field, rather than being locked into one small group of four for the entire stage.
One table, not eight
Instead of eight separate mini-leagues, every club's results across their league-phase matches feed into one combined table covering all 36 teams. This means strength of opposition varies significantly from club to club — two teams can finish level on points having played very different opponents, which is a deliberate trade-off UEFA accepted in exchange for more meaningful matches across the competition.
How qualification works from there
Clubs finishing in the top places of the combined table advance directly to the round of 16. A further band of clubs just below them enter a play-off round for the remaining knockout spots, while clubs finishing towards the bottom of the table are eliminated from Europe's premier club competition entirely at that stage. This replaced the old system where finishing third in your group meant dropping into the Europa League rather than being knocked out of Europe altogether.
Why UEFA made the change
The stated goal was more competitive, meaningful matches throughout the season, avoiding the dead rubbers that could happen once a group's qualification picture was already decided with games still to play. A single expanded table, playing more clubs against a wider spread of opponents, was UEFA's answer to complaints that the old group stage had become predictable well before it finished.
Adjusting to the new normal
For clubs and fans alike, the format took time to get used to — mid-table finishes in the combined 36-team standings suddenly carried far more late-season tension than a group stage typically had, since qualification and elimination lines moved constantly as results across the whole competition came in on the same matchdays.
More football coverage
The same push toward bigger, more inclusive formats shaped the 2026 World Cup's expansion to 48 teams. More like this in our Sports section.
