UEFA Unveils Overhaul of Champions League Draw Format
This summer, UEFA is set to implement significant changes to the Champions League draw, replacing the current format, which has been in place since the 1999-2000 season, with a new 36-team league phase.
The objective of this revamped format is to minimize the occurrence of inconsequential matches, bring together top teams earlier in the competition, and elevate the importance of league standings.
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Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA’s deputy general secretary, acknowledged the potential lengthiness of the draw process, estimating it could take “three or four hours” if conducted manually. To address this, the draw will now incorporate both manual and automated elements, with independent audits ensuring fairness and transparency.
Additionally, UEFA will introduce a tennis-style seeding system from the last 16 stage onward. This will ensure that the top two teams from the league phase are kept apart in the draw, preventing them from facing each other until the final. Moreover, the top four seeds, determined by the new league table format, will be strategically placed to avoid meeting until the semi-finals, incentivizing teams to secure higher positions.
Although UEFA contemplated a “US draft” system, where clubs would select potential opponents based on seeding, they ultimately opted for the tennis-style seeding to maintain fairness and minimize potential controversies.
Furthermore, the league phase will reserve two European performance spots (EPS) for teams from nations that excelled in the previous season’s European campaign. Currently held by Italy and Germany, these spots would be transferred to the fifth-placed teams in their respective leagues should they become available.