UEFA rings changes for Champions League

The European Champions League will see an increase of four teams to 36 and the present group stage replaced by one single league from the 2024⁄25 season, UEFA said yesterday.

The revamp of European football’s premier club competition will see each team play eight league games – four home and four away – as opposed to six in the group stage.

The top eight sides in the league will qualify automatically for the knockout stage, while the teams finishing in ninth to 24th place will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their path to the last 16 of the competition.