When UEFA announced that it would be changing the Champions League format this season, there were more than a few fans moaning about what lay ahead. It wasn’t just traditionalists who would rather see a competition with only actual champions playing single-elimination ties who wondered whether the new way of doing things would end in failure.
The Change to a New Champions League Format
There has always been criticism of the format of the Champions League, with the predictable nature of the old group stage regarded as a waste of time. Fans would regularly comment about how the competition only really got going once the knockout rounds began. It seemed clear that something had to be changed – but the new format was immediately panned.
We all want to see the best teams play against each other to determine the real champion of Europe. We can all join in on the debate and make our own predictions on the sportsbook online markets. Has this new format made the earlier stage of the Champions League a more exciting prospect though? Is it – against all expectations – a success story?
Change to 36-Team Format
The old eight-groups-of-four format was designed to allow more teams the chance of going further in the competition. But it had turned into a very predictable phase of play, with the big clubs always progressing or, at the very least, dropping down in the Europa League and having a second chance to win European silverware. Switching to the “Swiss-style” 36-team league certainly raised some eyebrows and some important questions.
Criticisms of the New Format
It did feel as though the new format had been explicitly brought in to allow the biggest and wealthiest clubs to earn even more money from more games. The news that each club would actually only play eight games each caused an uproar. Critics pointed to a lack of fairness, as the teams involved would not all be playing the same opponents. How can a club honestly call itself the champion of a league when it has not had to play every other team?
Although that last question did raise a good point about the new format, it ignored the fact that the old group stages provided the exact same problem and no one seemed to have a problem with it then. Change will always be met with criticism when it comes to football – especially when the wealthiest clubs are involved. But some of the changes displayed in this season’s Champions League format, so far, do suggest that the new format is something of a success – almost despite the intentions of UEFA.
Bigger Head-to-Head Matchups
We now see far more big clubs going head-to-head. The match day draw allows all clubs to play opponents of every level. But that does mean that Real Madrid, for example, will play the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain. It used to be the case that the seeding of a four-team group meant that there would be only one big team in each group. That is why fans would be more interested in the later knockout stages.
Unpredictable Group Stage Results
One aspect of the new-look Champions League that it is unlikely that UEFA envisaged when it was deciding what format to go with is the unpredictable nature of the results. It was expected that PSG and Manchester City would cruise through this league stage just as they had always done in the past. But, for whatever reason, both these former winners have struggled against what would be considered lesser sides. Even with 24 of the 36 teams in the league progressing in some way or another, there is a degree of uncertainty about the make-up of the upcoming round of 16.
Another somewhat unforeseen advantage of the new format is that the 36-team league is very closely fought. With so many games played by each team, qualification for the next round – or even the playoffs – will be tight and is likely to come down to goal difference or goals scored. Once this became apparent, the goals-per-game rate increased and made the spectacle even more attractive. If we are to see the best teams in Europe attacking more in the hope of scoring more goals, we are fully on board with that!
Better for The Neutrals
For the fans – especially the neutrals – it would seem as though the new look Champions League format is a success. There have been more games, more goals, and an unpredictability that was unforeseen before the start of the competition. But those extra games do pose questions surrounding player safety and the already crowded football calendar. It was very noticeable that there were more injuries reported during the season when the World Cup was shifted from the European summer months to the winter in 2022. Those extra games played havoc for the athletes having to put their bodies on the line and we may well see a repeat situation towards the end of this season.
There is still a long way to go for the competition as well, of course. Once this new league stage has been completed, and the playoffs have been played, we will still have the same round of 16 that we have had for a long time. It may even be the case that the exploits up until then will be largely forgotten. It is true that an extended opening phase has made individual games feel less important with less jeopardy attached.
For now, we can say that the Champions League format changes have been a success. It may not have been in the grand plan of UEFA but there have been more surprises this season than in the more predictable group stages of recent years. The Champions League remains the biggest show in town and it may be that the effects of the changes will not be fully understood until it all comes around next season – one that, incidentally, is followed by a World Cup.