The Champions League faces its most dramatic shift as the group stage ends
The queen of European football is gearing up for a seismic change in the continent’s premier club competition. Last Wednesday’s fixtures entered history as they marked the final matches under the current group-stage format. Beginning next season, the Champions League will move away from the familiar group structure, making way for a new format that has not existed since 1992.
FC Barcelona fell in their final group clash against Antwerp. While Barça could not alter the outcome, the defeat carried financial consequences and signaled the end of a familiar era, as their last group-stage match in this phase will not be played again under the current setup.
The group stage moves forward with a clear aim: to determine the eight teams that will reach the knockout rounds and to map out potential opponents for the Spanish giants as they chase further glory.
With Atletico Madrid’s win over Lazio, Spanish clubs authored a historic moment by having four teams emerge from the group stage as winners, a first in Champions League history. Yet this record is set to fade, since the group phase will disappear from the competition next season.
Griezmann leads Atletico toward a strong start in the last-16 phase
Looking ahead, the most notable transformation of the new format is the expansion of the field from 32 to 36 teams. The expanded field is divided into four blocks of nine teams each, ranked from 1 to 36 according to the UEFA coefficient. This coefficient reflects performance by clubs across Europe over the previous five seasons, shaping the composition of the new league.
The 36-team league structure means each club will play eight group matches, evenly split between home and away, facing two clubs from every block. The outcome will be a comprehensive ranking that separates the contenders from the rest, with direct access for the top eight to the round of 16. The teams ranking ninth through twenty-fourth will enter a round-robin, double-leg playoff to determine progression opportunities.
From this point, the competition will revert to the familiar knockout format—round of 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals, and the final—yet the path to reach them will be shaped by the expanded phase. This evolution marks a fundamental change in the structure, timing, and strategy of Europe’s flagship club competition.
Real Sociedad sits atop their group after a draw with Inter, underscoring how group leadership, more than ever, hinges on consistency across a longer calendar. The revised scheduling will shift some matches to late August or early September, extending the seasonal footprint. In addition to the traditional Tuesday and Wednesday fixtures, matches are anticipated on Thursdays as part of the broadened schedule. A further noteworthy adjustment is the elimination of the Europa League lifeline for teams that are knocked out of the Champions League, tightening the ladder between Europe’s top competitions.
As this radical transition unfolds, the football world reflects on a period of transition for the sport. The continent’s premier competition is preparing to bid farewell to the established group-stage format, signaling a new chapter that will shape the way clubs compete across Europe for years to come.