Second thoughts on the group wildcards in the new Champions League

UEFA is preparing changes to the way the Champions League will be run from the 2024-2025 season, when the format will change and teams will be increased to 36. In this regard, it has been announced that two of the additional four ‘tickets’ will be distributed as wildcards to top-division clubs that did not enter the groups via domestic leagues.

A high presence in the UEFA rankings would suffice regardless of where they would end up. Consequently, a team that would finish 6th in La Liga could be in the Champions League groups instead of a team finishing 5th because they have a better placement in the UEFA rankings.

UEFA told an Association of European Associations working group that the overtaking was unfair and that places in the groups should not be awarded in this way. However, she did not rule out using her ranking to split the two “tickets”, but for teams that lost a place in the Landesliga to get a place.

This decision is the result of criticism received by UEFA for the way it decided to distribute the extra “tickets”, a criticism leveled even by its president, Alexander Cheferin. According to the reactionaries, the new system was based on the philosophy of the European Super League, which favors the strong and rich rather than those who deserve some competitive advantage.

As for the other two “tickets” from the expansion of the tournament, the favorite to win is the 3rd team from France, which so far only sends two teams directly into the groups, and the champion of the top country of the UEFA ranking, the does not send the team directly into the groups.

The most important changes of the new Champions League

The group stage is eliminated and a large group of 36 teams takes their place. However, not all teams play against each other.

Each of the 36 participating teams plays 10 games (5 away and 5 away). His opponents will be drawn from different capacity groups (the process of formation of capacity groups is unknown).

When the 10 games are over, the eight teams with the best harvests in this huge group advance to the next phase, the KO round. The teams ranked 9-24 compete in doubles draws and claim 8 ‘tickets’ to stage 16. Then it continues in the usual fashion with the doubles games in stage 16, quarterfinals and semifinals, followed by singles finals.