Football: UEFA mulling new Champions League format

By Huseyin Burak Demirer

ANKARA (AA) - European football's governing body is expected to introduce a new format to the UEFA Champions League after the 2023-24 season.

The UEFA is mulling a more competitive Champions League system, hoping to discard speculation of a breakaway "European Super League."

Expanding the tournament from 32 to 36 teams, each club will play 10 games in the group phase, instead of the current six.

The new format will provide more games between the European clubs, raising the total number of matches from 125 to over 200.

The finalists will play 17 games -- 10 in group stage, two in last 16, two in quarterfinals, two in semifinals and one the final.

According to the new format, Europe's top four leagues, England, Italy, Spain, and Germany, will be allowed one or two extra spots in the Champions League. Under the current system, four teams participate from each league.

Also, French Ligue 1, which has two direct qualifications for the Champions League, may be allowed one more.

The UEFA is also considering additional quotas for countries that do not meet its score-ranking criteria. Several more clubs in these countries can be included in the Champions League based on their UEFA score.

In addition to Tuesday and Wednesday, matches may be played on Thursday in the new format, expected to start in 2024 and continue until 2033.

Since the 1990s, some European football clubs have threatened to leave the UEFA competition and kick off a European Super League, though this never came to pass. The UEFA, for its part, has refused the formation of another league.