Champions League Format Explained: How the Tournament Works | OneFootball

The UEFA Champions League underwent a significant overhaul for the 2024-25 season, moving away from the format that had been in place since 2003.

The change saw the tournament shift from a traditional group stage—where 32 teams were divided into eight groups of four—to a new, expanded league phase featuring 36 teams.

UEFA, European soccer's governing body, said the change was introduced to raise the stakes in matches and create a "better competitive balance"—enhancing the chances of smaller clubs advancing to the later stages while simultaneously increasing the number of matches between top teams.

Here's everything you need to know about the Champions League's new format, including how teams qualify, how the tournament operates, and the prizes at stake.

Champions League Qualification: How Teams Get In

Manchester City is the reigning Premier League champion. / Michael Regan/Getty Images

Teams qualify for the Champions League based on their domestic league standings from the previous season.

Each country is allocated a certain number of spots in the tournament based on its UEFA association coefficient, which ranks leagues according to their clubs' performances in European competitions over the past five seasons.

Higher-ranked countries receive more spots, while lower-ranked leagues may need to go through qualifying rounds to secure a place in the tournament.

For example, for the 2024-25 competition, the top four ranked countries in Europe—England, Spain, Germany, and Italy—each had four automatic Champions League places, awarded to the top four finishers in their respective top divisions: the Premier League, La Liga, the Bundesliga, and Serie A.

France, ranked fifth, also had four places, but only three were automatic, while the Netherlands, ranked sixth, had two automatic places and a total of three.

At the other end of the spectrum, San Marino, UEFA's lowest-ranked nation, had just one place, which went to AC Virtus, the winner of the Campionato Sammarinese di Calcio. However, the team had to go through three qualifying rounds to reach the league phase and was ultimately eliminated in the first round.

Each year, the winners of the previous season's Champions League and Europa League are also granted a Champions League place. If these teams have already secured qualification through the coefficient system, their places are passed down to the next highest-ranked teams in their respective leagues.

Champions League Format 2024-25: New Swiss Model

The Champions League knockout playoff matches are set with eight teams advancing to the round of 16. / UEF

The Champions League's new-look league phase is, according to The New York Times, based on the Swiss model used in chess, and does not require every team to face all the others.

Instead, the 36 teams involved play eight matches against eight different teams––four home and four away. The matchups are determined by a seeded draw before the tournament begins.

At the end of the league phase, the teams that finish 1st to 8th automatically qualify for the round of 16. The teams that finish 9th to 24th enter a playoff round, with the top eight facing off against the bottom eight over two legs. The winners of these matchups will complete the remaining spots in the last 16.

Teams which finish 25th to 36th in the league phase are eliminated.

From here, the competition follows its traditional knockout-round format, with teams facing off in two-legged ties from the round of 16 through to the semifinals. If the aggregate score is level, ties go to extra time and, if necessary, penalties, before the last two standing face off in the final.

Champions League Schedule & Key Dates

From start to finish, the Champions League spans nearly an entire year, with qualifying rounds starting in June, the main competition beginning in September, and the final taking place in May.

Here is an overview of the typical schedule for the competition:

Champions League Prize Money & Rewards

Real Madrid is the reigning Champions League winner. / IMAGO/Alex Perez

For the 2024-25 Champions League, the total prize money pool is $3.4 billion (£2.7 billion), divided into three categories: equal shares, performance-based rewards, and the value pillar.

Equal shares essentially guarantees every team that enters the tournament a share of the prize pool. Teams in the qualifying rounds, whether eliminated or not, each received $4.5 million (£3.6 million), while every team that made it to the league phase received $19.3 million (£15.5 million).

Performance-based prize money rewards teams for their performance throughout the tournament. For example, a win in the league phase would have earned a team $2.2 million (£1.8 million), while winning the final comes with a prize of $25.9 million (£20.8 million).

Prize money is cumulative, so the eventual winner of the competition, if they win every game, could earn as much as $85.5 million (£71.2 million).

The value pillar, meanwhile, is a separate component that allocates funds based on factors such as market pool and broadcasting rights, ensuring teams with larger fan bases or in more lucrative markets receive a larger share.

Champions League History & Most Successful Clubs

Cristiano Ronaldo is the Champions League's all-time top scorer. / IMAGO/ANP

The Champions League was originally founded in 1955 as the European Champion Clubs' Cup, or European Cup, as a straight knockout tournament open only to the champions of Europe's domestic leagues.

In 1992, it was rebranded with its current name and a new format, allowing more clubs from across the continent to compete.

The most successful team in Champions League history (including its European Cup era) is Real Madrid, with a record-breaking 15 titles. AC Milan follows with seven, while Bayern Munich and Liverpool have each lifted the trophy six times.

Barcelona has claimed the title five times, while Ajax has been crowned champion on four occasions.

The five most decorated players in Champions League history—Paco Gento, Toni Kroos, Dani Carvajal, Luka Modric, and Nacho Fernandez—have each won the trophy six times, mostly with Real Madrid. Gento achieved his titles in the 1950s and '60s, while the others have dominated since the turn of the century.

The competition’s all-time leading scorer is Cristiano Ronaldo, who netted 140 goals for Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Juventus. Lionel Messi follows closely behind with 129, scored during his time at Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain.