Up until the 2023-24 season, the Champions League featured 32 teams divided into eight groups of four and the top two teams advanced to the knockouts, beginning with the round of 16.

However, the 2024-25 season will see the competition expand to 36 teams, who will play in a newly-coined “league phase” instead of groups.

Every team will play eight games against eight different opponents in a home-and-away system in the new format.The top eight teams will advance directly into the round of 16.

Sides finishing from ninth to 24th will enter the playoff round, which will be contested in eight knockout-style matches. The eight winners will complete the lineup for the round of 16, which will lead to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final.

The number of matches under the new format will increase from 125 to 189.

UEFA, the governing body of European football, has said the new format allows “clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents” and increases the prospect for fans to see “the top teams go head-to-head more often and earlier in the competition”