By Humberto Viera
Aug 14, 2024, 3:22 PM EDT
UEFA has announced that the draw for the next edition of the Champions League will adopt a hybrid format, combining a manual process to select the team balls with a digital system that will randomly determine the pairings.
According to UEFA, this new approach will be used in a 36-team league structure, where clubs will be ranked based on their performance.
The competition will see the top eight teams advance directly to the round of 16, while those ranked 9-24 will play a two-legged playoff for a place in the next round. Teams finishing 25-36 will be eliminated.
The 36 teams will be drawn into four pots based on their coefficient, with the exception of the current champion, which will be automatically placed in pot 1. Each team will play a total of eight matches: two against teams from its own pot and two against each of the other pots, with a balance of four home and four away matches, determined randomly by the software.
The draw will also maintain the rule of not playing teams from the same country, as well as adding the restriction that a team cannot have more than two rivals from another country during this phase.
According to Tobias Hedtstück, UEFA’s Director of Club Competitions, this new format will significantly reduce the length of the draw, which in its previous version could have exceeded three hours.
Specific dates for European competition matches will be announced on 31 August, while the Champions League draw will take place on 29 August, followed by the Europa and Conference League draws on 30 August, all in Monaco.
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