Can somebody explain to me in the simplest way possible the new European format in Champions League, Europa League, Europa Conference League.

It sounds absolutely crap!!

I guess what I'm wondering is like in Champions League as an example you'll be playing eight different teams in your Group of Nine right?  However you'll not be playing four teams home and away right like traditional play from years gone by correct?  You'll be playing each team once and luck of the draw who you'll get home and away?

 

God somebody save me from embarrassing myself and just spell it out for me my 33% brain damaged self is losing a few more cells as we speak stressing about it!! 

 

Maybe use nine different teams to elaborate if one can!

Edited May 19, 20242 yr by SeeBass
Bad grammar.

From the Uefa official site -

https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0268-12157d69ce2d-9f011c70f6fa-1000--new-format-for-champions-league-post-2024-everything-you-ne/

Quote

The group stage will move from 32 clubs playing 6 games in 8 groups of 4 to 36 clubs playing 8 teams in 5 venues in 4 seeding pots in 1 league.  The first 17 teams play 2 teams from the next 6 in a rotating fashion while the remaining 9 teams play 3 of the remaining 4 on a one-home, one-away basis until all teams have played two thirds of their allotted games. 

At this point the league splits into 3 equilateral groupings based on the top 12 teams' coefficients and the bottom 8 teams' fair play rankings, where all teams excepting the middle 4 play 1 extra game home and away.  The 4 middle teams play the 9th through 11th and the 29th ranked teams once more with home or away depending on currently accumulated ratio home:away fixtures to this point, which if even will be settled by a neutral venue nominated by the team above them, or below them if higher in goals scored.

The league phase concludes when all 36 teams have played not less than 8 but not more than 1 less than the previous team, and the top 13 teams automatically qualify for the second phase league knockout selection group. Teams that finish 14-26 enter a round robin playoff stage from which 8 teams will qualify to drop into this year's Uefa league at the 4th playoff knockout stage, whilst the remaining 4 teams drop into last year's competition at the stage before. Teams 27-33 re-enter the competition at qualifying round 1 and will replay their matches in reverse order whilst the final 3 teams drop directly to the Conference League final to compete in a 3-way shootout for the trophy.

The 13 qualifying teams face off in the intermediatory sudden death tombola round from which 7 teams enter the knockout stages proper joined by an additional team comprising of the surviving members of the 6 losing teams. These 8 teams play the quarter-final stages with the lowest scoring winners replaced by the highest scoring teams 27-33 who re-entered the competition at qualifying round 1, who receive a bye to the final.  The trophy is awarded to the club deemed to have the most money.