The Champions League is a tournament that pits the champions (and, for some countries, one or more runners-up) of Europe’s top national leagues against each other. It is regarded as the most prestigious club competition in the world. The trophy is kept permanently by the club that wins it, and it is almost as coveted as the FIFA World Cup trophy.
In 2020 UEFA reworked the format of its flagship event, moving to an expanded 36-team “league phase” in place of the traditional group stage. In this new structure each team plays eight different teams — four at home and four away — during the league phase, and sides that finish in the top eight automatically qualify for the knockout play-off round, while those who finish ninth through 24th will compete in two-legged play-offs for the remaining eight spots.
UEFA has also revamped the way that home advantage is decided in the knockout phases of the competition, and a bracket based upon league rankings will be used to create all of the fixtures up through the semifinals. This will eliminate the need for an open draw in the quarterfinals and semifinals, and UEFA says it will result in a spread of marquee matches throughout the bracket.
The teams in Pot 1 are ordered by their UEFA club coefficient, while the teams in Pots 2 through 4 are ranked according to their results from last season’s qualifying phase. The final draw, held on Feb. 27, will create the full bracket for the remainder of the competition.