In the realm of the Champions League, almost everything undergoes transformation.
The Champions League leans on advanced AI nowadays. Tonight, a highly advanced computer is set to assist in the most complicated group stage draw in history, occurring during the competition's most significant revamp. Vermont isn't the only part of the tournament that's being reinvented - the anthem also underwent an alteration. Although the famous tune is still present, it now carries a distinctive sound.
Today's Champions League may be recognizable, but there's little left from the old days. As the draw for this season's premier event unfolds in Monaco (6 p.m.), spectators will notice significant changes. Even the music that fills the air will be an altered version. The celebrated composition, inspired by football legend Handel's "Zadok the Priest," has been ingeniously transformed. The updated piece retains its central language-focused theme, but that's where the resemblance ends. UEFA has commissioned an orchestra to re-record the legendary lyrics, giving the anthem a fresh coat of paint and a significantly different tone.
The henchmen of hand-picked British composer Tony Britten's composition, "Tenebrae," graciously emerges as the anthem's new star. The re-produced choir echoes through the stadium, with a smoother, more solemn, and less powerful vibe. The traditional chant fans dutifully sang along to is now in danger of falling out of favor. The refurbished anthem has become the symbol of a league revamp, a stark contrast to the tournament's previous format, which featured Dortmund's electrifying run to the final.
The most substantial overhaul of the Champions League since its inception in the 1992-1993 season is the abolition of the traditional group phase. Under the new format, the now 36 teams will participate in a single league - a stark departure from the previous 32. After eight games, the top eight clubs will advance to the knockout stage, while the remaining 24 teams will compete in a kind of playoff to secure the remaining eight berths. Five German teams - Bayer Leverkusen, VfB Stuttgart, Bayern Munich, RB Leipzig, and Dortmund - will kickstart the inaugural season of the refreshed Champions League.
The financial commitment for clubs will increase from the previous 15.64 million euros to 18.62 million euros, with an additional 2.1 million euros per win (previously 2.8 million euros). The placement fee ranges from 275,000 euros for the 36th position in the league phase to 10 million euros for the first-placed team. In a best-case scenario, UEFA will distribute over 112 million euros to a single participant, compared to the 85 million euros available in the previous season.
The financial gains don't stop there. European soccer's central governing body will disburse a staggering 853 million euros from the new market pool. The remaining two pillars - starting fees and bonuses - are similarly impressive, amounting to 670 million euros and 914 million euros, respectively. UEFA's CFO will undoubtedly celebrate, while the sporting directors of participating teams can begin planning their strategy to build competitive sides. It seems that the beautiful game is perhaps too predictable.
But enough about questioning the competition. Let's delve into the new changes in the Champions League.
How does the draw work? The old method is essentially gone. Previously, 32 teams were categorically sectioned into eight groups of four. This is no longer the case. The 36 participating teams will partake in a league system, playing eight games in the group stage - four home, four away, against eight different opposition. Each team will face two opponents from each of the four pots, including their own.
The 36 teams are divided into four pots based on their UEFA coefficient. Bayern Munich, Dortmund, and Leipzig have earned their place in Pot 1. Champions Leonardo Bayer was assigned to Pot 2, while Stuttgart returns to the Champions League in Pot 4. Although the selection in Pot 1 appears privileged, each team will face two opponents from each pot, ensuring that there will be matches between the top teams in the group stage, which had previously been deemed dull. The financial implications may also have played a role in the revamp: with 144 matches instead of 96, 40 of which will involve German teams, there will be a significant increase in German participation, more than double the figure from last year.
Matches between teams from the same country are still rendered off-limits. Given that three German teams are in Pot 1, it's already evident that German teams will face two of the allocated six teams: Madrid, Manchester City, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, and Barcelona.
- Pot 1: Madrid, Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Paris Saint-Germain, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Borussia Dortmund, RB Leipzig, Barcelona
- Pot 2: Leonardo Bayer, Madrid, Atalanta Bergamo, Juventus Torino, Benfica Lisbon, Arsenal, Club Brugge, Shakhtar Donetsk, AC Milan
- Pot 3: Feyenoord Rotterdam, Sporting Lisbon, PSV Eindhoven, Dinamo Zagreb, FC Salzburg, Lille OSC, Red Star Belgrade, Young Boys Bern, Celtic Glasgow
- Pot 4: Slovan Bratislava, AS Monaco, Sparta Prague, Aston Villa, Bologna, Girona, Stuttgart, Sturm Graz, Stade Brest
The unique aspect of the draw: The draw process is no longer solely dependent on human hands. UEFA highlights that considering all possibilities with 1000 balls would take several hours, making the draw considerably lengthy. As a result, a software developed by a London-based company with extensive experience in the field will be utilized. This AI-driven supercomputer is anticipated to expedite the process in 35 minutes. The method is simple: clubs are drawn individually by hand, and then the computer selects the remaining opponents at random and assigns home and away matches for the drawn team.
Potential opponents for the five German teams could look like this:
- Bayern Munich: Man City (away), Paris (home), Atletico (away), Atalanta (home), Feyenoord (away), Young Boys (home), Bratislava (away), Monaco (home)
- Borussia Dortmund: Real (home), Liverpool (away), Milan (away), Bruges (home), Lille (away), Salzburg (home), Girona (away), Prague (home)
- RB Leipzig: Inter (away), Barcelona (home), Arsenal (away), Juventus (home), Celtic (away), Red Star (home), Graz (home), Brest (away)
- Bayer Leverkusen: Atletico (home), Atalanta (away), PSG (away), Real (home), Feyenoord (home), Young Boys (away), Aston Villa (home), Bologna (away)
- VfB Stuttgart: Bratislava (home), Monaco (away), Inter (away), Barcelona (home), Milan (away), Bruges (home), Lille (away), Eindhoven (home)
The subsequent phase: After the group stage, the 36 teams will participate in a league system, resulting in a single table comprising all teams. Teams ranking 1 to 8 following eight matchdays will directly advance to the Round of 16 in the Champions League. Teams ranking 9 to 24 will qualify for the new knockout round playoffs. Teams ranking 25 to 36 will be eliminated.
Teams ranking 9 to 24 will decide the remaining Round of 16 participants through eight home and away matches. The victors will then engage in the traditional knockout system from the Round of 16 onwards to determine the teams competing in the final in Munich. A unique addition this year is that teams will not be redrawn for each round, but instead, they will be placed in a tournament bracket based on their league phase rankings, similar to tennis or darts.
Game schedule: Due to eight group stage matchdays instead of six, additional match dates are required. Previously, the group stage concluded in December; however, the new league system extends into January. Matches will continue to be played on Tuesdays and Wednesdays at 18:45 and 21:00. Exceptions include some matches on the first matchday, which will be played on a Thursday due to the Europa League and Conference League pausing, and all 18 matches on the last matchday, which will be played simultaneously. The schedulers at DAZN are likely eager for this. DAZN and Amazon Prime will continue to broadcast the Champions League in Germany, with only the final being shown on ZDF.
- 1st Matchday: 17/18/19 September 2024
- 2nd Matchday: 1/2 October 2024
- 3rd Matchday: 22/23 October 2024
- 4th Matchday: 5/6 November 2024
- 5th Matchday: 26/27 November 2024
- 6th Matchday: 10/11 December 2024
- 7th Matchday: 21/22 January 2025
- 8th Matchday: 29 January 2025
- Knockout Round Playoffs: 11/12 and 18/19 February 2025
- Round of 16: 4/5 and 11/12 March 2025
- Quarterfinals: 8/9 and 15/16 April 2025
- Semifinals: 29/30 April and 6/7 May 2025
- Final: 31 May 2025 in Munich
How will the Europa League and Conference League function? The format remains largely the same. The Europa League, featuring German teams Frankfurt and Hoffenheim, will follow the same procedure as the Champions League. The Conference League, however, will still maintain only six group stage matches. In the smallest UEFA competition, the 36 teams will be divided into six pots of six teams each. If 1. FC Heidenheim qualifies for the group stage by winning tonight's playoff against BK Häckan, they will be in Pot 2 and will be drawn against one team from each pot. They will play three home games and three away games.
Will relegation to the Europa League and Conference League occur again? No, teams that are eliminated will no longer have to compete in either the Europa League or the Conference League.
Who will emerge victorious in the Champions League? Even the supercomputer lacks the ability to predict that.
In the revamped Champions League format, Borussia Dortmund and RB Leipzig are placed in Pot 1, indicating their high UEFA coefficients.
The new AI-driven computer is set to expedite the group stage draw in a record 35 minutes, assisting in the intricate process that would take several hours manually.
