Tomorrow at 6:00 PM, the curtain will rise on the new Champions League.

The first with the format that features a single league table, with a total of 36 teams (4 more than those in the previous competition structure), in effect until last year.

The New Features

Compared to the previous format, the one that will be used starting this year involves a greater number of matches. The tournament will move from the six matches of the old group stage to eight, which will characterize the first phase. The clubs will continue to be divided into pots, and each team will draw two opponents from each pot. According to UEFA’s intentions, this should ensure more spectacle, with a higher number of big matches right from the start of the tournament. The top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while the teams that finish between 9th and 24th place will go to the playoffs. The seeds for the Round of 32 will be those clubs ranked between 9th and 16th place in the standings. The teams ranked between 25th and 36th place will be eliminated from the UEFA Champions League and all other European competitions, as the “relegation” to the Europa League has been abolished. A “tennis-style” bracket will then be formed, leading up to the final in Munich. Italy, having had the best UEFA ranking last season, benefited from a bonus spot and will therefore have five teams competing. These are Inter, Milan, Juventus, Bologna, and Atalanta.

The Teams Qualified and Surprises

Here are the teams currently confirmed to participate in the new Champions League, pending the return legs of the qualifying rounds. Tonight, the following matches will be played to assign the last available slots: Qarabag-Dinamo Zagreb, Red Star Belgrade-Bodø/Glimt, Slovan Bratislava-Midtjylland, and Slavia Prague-Lille. Last night, Young Boys, Salzburg, and Sparta Prague secured their places in the next phase, defeating Galatasaray, Dynamo Kyiv, and Malmö, respectively. Four teams have achieved remarkable feats by qualifying directly for this edition, which will begin in mid-September. These are Bologna, Brest, Aston Villa, and Girona. For Bologna, it’s a return to the top European competition after 60 years. For the French team, it will be their first time; Stade Brestois 29 (the full name) had never finished higher than eighth in the league (achieved in 1986/1987). The “Pirates” team, based in a small Breton city of just 140,000 inhabitants, played in Ligue 2 from 2013 to 2019. Aston Villa’s participation is also highly anticipated, as the Villains last appeared on the European stage in 1983 when they were eliminated by Juventus in the quarter-finals. In La Liga, Girona’s sporting miracle is noteworthy, as the team was playing in the Second Division just two years ago. They finished third, earning a spot in this year’s Champions League. However, Girona’s participation was only confirmed in early July when UEFA’s Club Financial Control Body (CFCB) gave a positive opinion after reviewing significant changes made by the club’s investors. The red-and-whites, who are part of the holding company that also owns Manchester City (City Football Group), were at risk of violating Article 5 of the regulations of Europe’s top football governing body. This rule is designed to regulate cases where two clubs, owned by the same entity, compete in the same competition. The issue was resolved thanks to a “blind trust” structure, through which the aforementioned investors transferred Girona’s shares to independent trustees. The entire process was carried out under the supervision of the CFCB’s First Chamber.

The List of Qualified Teams

• Italy: Inter, Juventus, Atalanta, Milan, Bologna*;
• Germany: Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Leipzig, Borussia Dortmund*;
• Spain: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Atlético Madrid;
• England: Manchester City, Arsenal, Liverpool, Aston Villa;
• France: PSG, Monaco, Brest;
• Netherlands: PSV Eindhoven, Feyenoord;
• Portugal: Sporting, Benfica;
• Belgium: Bruges;
• Scotland: Celtic;
• Ukraine: Shakhtar Donetsk;
• Austria: Sturm Graz, Red Bull Salzburg;
• Switzerland: Young Boys;
• Czech Republic: Sparta Prague;

The Revenues of the New Champions League

UEFA explained in a circular that the 36 teams mentioned above will share a total of around €2.5 billion (compared to the previous €2 billion). These funds are divided into three categories. 27.5% (€670 million) will be allocated as participation fees. This amounts to about €18.62 million for each club participating in the competition. A share of 37.5% (€914 million) will be distributed based on results, while the remaining 35% (€853 million) will be redistributed based on a calculation that considers the overall market value of the team in its home country and its ranking, related to recent results achieved in Europe. Each win will be worth about €2.1 million, while a draw will earn €700,000. There will also be the distribution of 666 shares, each worth about €275,000. The number of shares will increase based on the ranking position achieved: the team that tops the first phase will be entitled to 36 shares (€9.9 million). The last-placed team will receive just one share. After the first phase, the knockout stage will begin, and additional cash prizes will be awarded for each round passed. Here’s how the prize money is divided:

• Round of 16: €11 million
• Quarter-finals: €12.5 million
• Semi-finals: €15 million
• Finalist: €18.5 million
• Winner: €29 million (including the €4 million guaranteed by qualifying for the 2025-2026 UEFA Super Cup).

The 35% share of the prize money relates to the “value” component. This is a sum combining the club’s value in the domestic market and its results in Europe. It corresponds to the market pool and historical ranking, which were managed separately until last season. The total €853 million in value is distributed proportionally to the sale of audiovisual rights in European markets (the “European part”) and others (the so-called “extra-European part”). This distribution is based on the amounts agreed with the competition’s broadcasters. A ranking will be created to compare the various countries, linked to how much the different national televisions contribute to the overall increase in the media revenue of the Champions League. At that point, the ranking will involve individual teams. These will be compared based on their participation in the group stage of European competitions over the past five years (earning 3 points for each Champions League, 2 for each Europa League, and 1 for each Conference League). An additional ranking will then be drawn up concerning the UEFA ranking over the last five years, also considering the results obtained. A final average will then be calculated between the domestic television market ranking and the UEFA ranking. The “extra-European part” only considers the results of clubs in the last 10 editions of the UEFA Champions League.

The Situation of Italian Teams

According to reports from “Calcio e Finanza,” the Italian market for TV rights for the top European club competition (considering the 2024-2027 triennium) ranks fifth, behind France, England, Spain, and Germany. In light of this, the revenues of the Italian teams would be as follows, summing up all the previously mentioned factors:

1. Inter: €50.92 million
2. Juventus: €49.31 million
3. Atalanta: €46.12 million
4. Milan: €43.88 million
5. Bologna: €36.19 million

The Sponsors of the Champions League

UEFA has confirmed the following sponsors for the 2024-2025 Champions League edition: Heineken, Lay’s, PlayStation, FedEx, MasterCard, crypto.com, Just Eat Takeaway.com, and PepsiCo. Among these, Heineken, PepsiCo, and MasterCard have renewed their sponsorship agreements with Europe’s top football governing body until 2027. PepsiCo is expected to have increased its contribution by 20%, attracted by the new competition structure. The figures for the new deal with another long-time partner (MasterCard) are not yet known, but according to rumors, the previous contract was worth around €170 million. A new addition is crypto.com, announced by UEFA in recent weeks. This is the first sponsor from this sector in the competition’s history. Crypto.com has become one of the most globally recognized brands, with over 100 million users, thanks to strategic partnerships. Among these, it’s worth mentioning the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles, Formula 1, UFC, and more. In short, the new Champions League format is proving to be an excellent showcase for attracting new sponsors. Now, the final word goes to the pitch, with the first matchday scheduled for September 17th.