Day: August 8, 2025

The Champions League is the most prestigious continental club tournament in Europe. The competition was founded in 1992, replacing the European Cup and it features a group stage where teams play each other home and away, with the top two progressing to the knockout phase. Third placed clubs are relegated to the Europa League and last place is relegated out of the competition altogether. The tournament is open to any club licensed by their national association that meets sporting, stadium, infrastructure and financial requirements.

Starting this season, the Champions League is expanding from 32 to 36 teams. In addition to the increased number of teams, a major revamp has also been introduced. The group stage is gone, replaced with a league phase in which each team plays eight matches against different opponents. The teams will be ranked in four seeding pots based on their UEFA coefficient and will play two teams from each pot, with one match at home and one away.

The changes are meant to make the tournament more competitive and to increase the likelihood of surprise results. However, history suggests that a re-jigged Champions League is likely to remain dominated by the traditional powerhouses of Europe. Real Madrid currently lead the all-time titles tally with fifteen, with Barcelona and Bayern Munich trailing close behind with nine each. Ajax are next with seven, and a number of other clubs, such as Liverpool and Manchester United (both five), have won multiple titles over the years.

Every four years teams fight fiercely for a spot in the world’s most coveted tournament. This journey tests nations’ resilience and strategic adaptability, with intense matches and surprising outcomes enthralling fans worldwide. The results shape not just the teams but global rankings as well.

The qualification structures differ across continents – for instance UEFA uses a group stage system while CONMEBOL and AFC use multi-tiered systems. Understanding these complexities is essential for assessing the strengths and weaknesses of a nation’s squad.

Typically, qualifiers are played over two legs and tiebreakers can include extra time or penalty shootouts if the scores remain level after 90 minutes. Occasionally, a match can be held on neutral ground if one of the teams does not have a stadium suitable to host international fixtures.

Ahead of the 2026 World Cup, a new format has been introduced for the Oceania region. In this case the qualifiers are based on two groups of six teams. The winner of each will qualify directly while the second-placed team will enter a playoff against the best runners-up from the other two groups. The winners of those ties will be the only two teams to make it into the final.

This is the first time that all members of OFC have participated in a playoff round and it will be interesting to see how it unfolds. Despite the change in structure, the overall format is the same with all teams playing each other once and then facing the top two from each other twice.