Everything you need to know about the new ‘Swiss model’ Champions League
Some say Uefa’s format gamble offers more excitement, others feel it serves the interests of Super League rebels
This is a high-stakes experiment from Uefa, implemented initially for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle. The old group stage has been replaced by a single 36-team league table in which each team will play eight matches against as many different opponents, four at home and four away. It is known as a “Swiss model” and will shake down into a top eight, who all qualify directly to the knockout stage, with a further 16 sides contesting a playoff round in between. The teams finishing between 25th and 36th will be eliminated when the league phase concludes in January. The knockouts will look familiar, a round of 16 funnelling toward next May’s final in Munich, and they will be bracketed so each team can plot its potential path.
