De new format of de UEFA Champions League dey cause plenty talk among football fans and analysts. For de 2024-25 season, UEFA introduce a new 36-team League stage, where each team go play eight different opponents, four matches at home and four away.
De top eight teams from dis League stage go qualify directly for de round of 16, while teams from ninth to 24th place go enter knockout round play-offs. Teams dat finish from 25th to 36th go be eliminated from de tournament. Dis new format mean teams go play more games, and some players dey complain about de heavy schedule.
Experts dey argue say dis new format no be too competitive, especially with de number of big wins we see in de early stages. For example, in de first 36 games, we see nine wins by a margin of 4+ goals, which be more than what we see in previous seasons. But dem say we should wait and see how things unfold before we draw conclusions.
De knockout stage fixtures go start from February 2025, with de round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and de final on May 31, 2025, at de Fußball Arena München in Munich, Germany.
De new format also mean teams go play more games during de transfer window in January, and some players dey talk about going on strike due to de heavy schedule. Players like Manchester City‘s Rodri and Real Madrid‘s Thibaut Courtois dey support dis claim through de players’ union, FIFPRO.
