On June 1, Real Madrid defeated Borussia Dortmund 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to claim its 15th UEFA Champions League (UCL) title. UEFA, which stands for Union of European Football Associations, is the governing entity of all professional football in Europe. The Champions League is a tournament hosted once a year in which the best clubs from around the continent fight for golden trophy glory.
The Spanish giants of Madrid were tested in every match from the Round of 16 onwards, but showed its class against Europe’s best. Real Madrid took down the Bundesliga’s RB Leipzig in the Round of 16 2-1 on aggregate before facing their toughest challenge in the quarterfinals.
The club drew English juggernauts Manchester City, giving fans a matchup between the two biggest favorites in the tournament to lift the trophy. The first match resulted in a draw in Madrid, and after another draw in Manchester, the Spaniards prevailed in penalties to advance to the semifinals, where they met yet another German club, Bayern Munich. “Los Blancos,” as Real Madrid is often referred to in Spain, defeated Bayern 4-3 on aggregate to advance to the aforementioned finals.
This year, Real Madrid will once again be favorites to hoist the trophy, especially after the addition of French superstar striker Kylian Mbappe. He joins Jude Bellingham and Vinícius Júnior, creating one of the most exciting and potential-ridden squads in recent memory.
There are many others battling for glory, however. Erling Haaland and Man City will be hungry for revenge, and Harry Kane-led Bayern will want to repeat its 2019-20 success. Bukayo Saka and Arsenal have played second-fiddle to Manchester City in the Premier League for the last two seasons, and the absence of a UCL trophy in the team’s cabinet will provide extra drive to lift it this season.
A new format blesses the group stage for the first time in this upcoming UCL season: 36 teams, up from 32 in years past, will be ranked into four seeding pots. Teams will then play matches against two randomly selected teams from each pot, one home and one away, giving each squad eight games to play. Teams will earn three points for a win and one for a draw, and the top eight teams with the most points at the end of the group stage will advance directly to the Round of 16 knockout phase. The ninth-16th place finishers will be seeded and face a 17th-24th place finisher in a two-leg match, with the aggregate winner advancing to the Round of 16 where they will face a top eight team.
The knockout stage, from the Round of 16 onwards, will remain unchanged and follow the same format that it has for decades.
The goal of the group stage format change is to increase match quality and give teams something to fight for all the way to the final game. In years past, if two teams dominate the other two in their group, the final games become moot and merely for show. With the change, teams will be fighting for top eight, 16, and 24 until the final whistle of the final game blows.
Reactions to the change have been mixed, with valid points being made by both sides. On one hand, the group stage will be less dull with more teams getting the opportunity to face one another, bringing variety and excitement. On the other hand, adding two extra matches (four for ninth-24th place finishers) will add stress to footballers who are already working a convoluted in-season schedule. People are also hesitant to accept a change to something that’s such a well-known entity, but it will almost certainly lead to a better viewing experience.
The UEFA Champions League 2024-25 season will kick off on Tuesday at 12:45 pm EST when Juventus take on PSV at Allianz Stadium in Italy.
All stats and information taken from UEFA.com as of September 13.
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