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The Champions League relies on advanced AI technology today. Tonight, a supercomputer will aid in the most intricate group stage draw in history. However, it's not just the draw that's undergone a transformation. The opening tune sounds different too.
Despite being titled "champions," there isn't much left of the old-school Champions League. The live draw taking place in Monaco at 6 pm will mark a drastic change in the format. Even the tune will sound distinct now. The original melody, created by British composer Tony Britten in 1992, was inspired by George Frideric Handel's "Zadok the Priest" anthem. It gained significant popularity and recognition.
The updated anthem retains the prestigious three-language lyrics about the champions but has been re-recorded by an orchestra and "slightly tweaked," as UEFA announced. The new rendition of "Tenebrae" is its showcase, giving off a softer, more somber, and less forceful vibe compared to the one the fans used to sing along to.
The Champions League underwent a significant overhaul, the last one since its inception in the 1992/1993 season. The traditional group stage format is no longer in use. Instead, the 36 teams now participate in a single league showcasing eight games each. The eight leading teams will proceed to the round of 16, while the teams ranked 9-24 will engage in a mini-playoff to decide the remaining eight participants.
Five German clubs – Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Borussia Dortmund – will share the elite stage of the new Champions League in its inaugural season. The starting fee for participating clubs has increased from 15.64 million euros to 18.62 million euros, with 2.1 million euros earned per win (previously earning 2.8 million euros). The placement fee ranges from 275,000 euros for the 36th-placed team in the league phase to 10 million euros earned by the top-placed team. In the best-case scenario, UEFA will award over 112 million euros to a single participant, an increase from the previous 85 million euros.
Football continues to be relatively predictable, with clubs preparing their scouting lists for the new season.
Before getting into a competition critique, let's dive into the new Champions League.
How does the draw function? Nearly everything has changed. In the past, 32 teams were categorically split into eight groups of four. This no longer applies. The 36 teams will now compete in a league system, featuring eight group stage matches per team – four at home and four away – against eight diverse opponents. Each team will be drawn against two opponents from each pot, even their own.
The 36 teams have been sorted into four groups based on their UEFA coefficient. Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, and RB Leipzig now fall into Group 1. Reigning champions Bayer Leverkusen are part of Group 2, while VfB Stuttgart, making their return to the Champions League, have been placed in Group 4. However, being part of Group 1 no longer offers any edge, as each team will face opponents from all four groups. UEFA ensured that this reform would include matches between top-tier teams in the group stage, a feature previously considered dull. The financial motivation for this reform is also evident: there will now be 144 instead of 96 group stage matches, with 40 of them involving German teams, as five Bundesliga teams have qualified. In the previous year, with four German participants, there were 24 Champions League group stage matches featuring German teams, which will almost double this year.
Matches between teams from the same country will still not be possible in the group stage. With three German teams in Group 1, it's clear that the German contenders will face two of the other six opponents: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, and FC Barcelona.
- Group 1: Real Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, FC Barcelona
- Group 2: Bayer Leverkusen, Atlético Madrid, Atalanta Bergamo, Juventus Turin, Benfica Lisbon, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan
- Group 3: Feyenoord Rotterdam, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Salzburg, Lille OSC, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys Bern, Celtic Glasgow
- Group 4: Slovan Bratislava, AS Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, VfB Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Stade Brest
The unique twist in the draw: The draw, traditionally conducted manually, will now involve the use of technology due to the extensive time it takes to consider all possibilities. Approximately 1000 balls would be needed for this task, leading to a lengthy draw process. To circumvent this, software from a London-based tech firm with a rich history in this field will be employed. This AI-driven supercomputer is expected to wrap up the process in a mere 35 minutes. The methodology is as follows: each club will be drawn manually first, followed by the AI determining the remaining opponents at random, and designating which opponents will host and which will visit.
Potential opponent pairings for the five German teams could resemble this:
- Bayern Munich: Manchester City (A), Paris (H), Atlético (A), Atalanta (H), Feyenoord (A), Young Boys (H), Slovan Bratislava (A), Monaco (H)
- Borussia Dortmund: Real (H), Liverpool (A), Milan (A), Brugge (H), Lille (A), Salzburg (H), Girona (A), Sparta Prague (H)
- RB Leipzig: Inter (A), Barcelona (H), Arsenal (A), Juventus (H), Celtic (A), Red Star (H), Graz (H), Rennes (A)
- Bayer Leverkusen: Atlético (H), Atalanta (A), PSG (A), Real (H), Feyenoord (H), Young Boys (A), Aston Villa (H), Bologna (A)
- VfB Stuttgart: Slovan Bratislava (H), Monaco (A), Inter (A), Barcelona (H), Milan (A), Brugge (H), Lille (A), PSV Eindhoven (H)
Moving forward after the group stage: The 36 teams will compete in a league system, resulting in a singular table for all teams. The top 8 teams following the first 8 matchdays will automatically advance to the Champions League's round of 16. Teams ranked 9 to 24 will qualify for the newly-introduced knockout round playoffs. Teams ranked 25 to 36 will be eliminated.
Teams ranked 9 to 24 will decide the final 16 round participants through 8 home and away matches. The victorious teams will then progress through the established knockout system, starting from the round of 16, to determine the teams for the final in Munich. A new feature this year is that teams will not be redrawn in every round but will instead be placed in a tournament tree based on their league phase rankings, much like tennis or darts.
When will the matches take place? With 8 group stage matchdays instead of 6, additional game dates are required. Previously, the group stage ended in December, but the new system will extend into January. Matches will still be held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 18:45 and 21:00. There are two exceptions: a few matches on the first matchday will be played on a Thursday due to the Europa League and Conference League still being on break. On the final matchday, all 18 games will commence simultaneously. The conference organizers at DAZN will no doubt appreciate this. DAZN and Amazon Prime will continue to broadcast the Champions League in Germany, with the final being shown on ZDF.
- 1st matchday: 17th, 18th, 19th September 2024
- 2nd matchday: 1st, 2nd October 2024
- 3rd matchday: 22nd, 23rd October 2024
- 4th matchday: 5th, 6th November 2024
- 5th matchday: 26th, 27th November 2024
- 6th matchday: 10th, 11th December 2024
- 7th matchday: 21st, 22nd January 2025
- 8th matchday: 29th January 2025
- Knockout round playoffs: 11th, 12th and 18th, 19th February 2025
- Round of 16: 4th, 5th and 11th, 12th March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 8th, 9th and 15th, 16th April 2025
- Semi-finals: 29th April and 6th May 2025
- Final: 31st May 2025 in Munich
How will the Europa League and Conference League proceed? The format is nearly identical. The Europa League, featuring German teams Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, will follow the same structure as the Champions League. However, the Conference League will still include only 6 group stage matches. In the smallest UEFA competition, the 36 teams will be divided into 6 groups, each containing 6 teams. If 1. FC Heidenheim qualifies for the group stage tonight by defeating BK Häcken, they will belong to Group 2 and will be drawn against a team from each group. Three matches will be held in Heidenheim, and the remaining three will be played away.
Will there be relegations to the Europa League and Conference League again? Negative. Teams eliminated from both the Champions League and the Europa League will be out of the competition altogether.
Who will win the Champions League? Even the supercomputer isn't capable of predicting that.
Despite the significant changes in the Champions League format, Borussia Dortmund and other German clubs, such as Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, Bayer Leverkusen, and VfB Stuttgart, are still eager participants. The group stage draw, now aided by an AI-driven supercomputer, will pair these teams with opponents from various countries.
In the new format, Borussia Dortmund might face Real Madrid at home and Liverpool away in the group stage, while RB Leipzig could potentially play against Barcelona at home and Arsenal away. The AI-driven supercomputer will ensure a fair and efficient draw, completing the process in just 35 minutes.
