The landscape of European football is set to undergo a significant transformation with the introduction of a new Champions League format, and it’s not simple!

This change, which is slated to take effect from the 2024/2025 season, will revolutionise the group stage of the competition, replacing the existing eight groups of four teams with a single league phase comprising 36 teams.

The addition of four new spots facilitates the expansion to 36 teams. These additional places will be allocated as follows: one to the third-placed team from the fifth-ranked country, currently France; one to an extra qualifier from the champions route of qualifying; and two to the countries with the best coefficient in the previous season, known as the ‘European performance spot’. Historically, the latter has been dominated by England, Spain, Italy, or Germany, with these countries finishing in the top two of the association rankings in nine of the last ten years.

This new structure implies that two of these countries will likely have five teams in the Champions League ‘league phase’. It also suggests that teams from just six countries could occupy 25 of the 36 places. This concentration of power in a few countries is a point of contention and will undoubtedly spark debates about the fairness and inclusivity of the new format.

The new format also changes the rules governing the allocation of places when the Champions League and Europa League winners qualify for the Champions League via their domestic leagues. Under the current system, if the Champions League winner qualifies through their league, the spare group place is given to the champion of the 11th-ranked nation. However, under the new format, this place will be awarded to the club in the champions route of Champions League qualifying with the highest coefficient.

In the case of the Europa League winner qualifying for the Champions League via their league, the team with the highest coefficient in either the champion or non-champion routes of qualifying will be promoted, but only if they’re the next best club in the domestic championship not already qualified for the Champions League. This replaces the current rule where the spare place would have been given to the third-placed team of the fifth-ranked nation.

For Scotland, and by extension, Celtic, this means that the country must remain in the top ten of the rankings to secure an automatic group spot. Previously, an 11th-place ranking would have likely secured an automatic place. In the 2024/25 rankings, Scotland will be 9th, securing one group spot. The runner-up will start in the second qualifying round, the ‘league phase’, where they will play eight different teams. Meaning if Celtic win the league this season, they will be onto their biggest Champions League windfall in their history.

The 36 teams will be divided into four pots of nine, each playing two teams from each pot, one at home and one away. The draw will be based on a system of pots to ensure a balanced level of opposition. The results will be compiled into a single league table, with three points for a win and one for a draw.

The top eight teams will advance directly to the last 16, while teams ranked 9th to 16th will compete in a knockout playoff round against teams ranked 17th to 24th. The winners of these playoffs will also advance to the last 16. Teams finishing in the bottom eight will be eliminated from the competition, with no opportunity to drop down to the Europa League.

The new format also introduces a ‘bracket’ type system from the playoff knockout round, with top seeds kept on opposite sides of the draw. This system appears to allow teams to know their potential opponents all the way through to the final. Matches will be played over ten weeks, with the last two weeks in January dedicated to the Champions League and Europa League.

There will also be changes to the Europa League and the Conference League, with some differences. For instance, the Conference League will only have six matchdays. A 9th place ranking for Scotland will allow a second team to participate in the Europa League qualifiers. The Cup Winner spot will start in the playoff round and be guaranteed Conference football.

While these changes are significant, some aspects remain unconfirmed, such as potential changes to the coefficient system and the financial implications of the new format. However, these changes represent a new era for European football, with implications for teams across the continent, including Celtic.

Article thanks to the brilliant research done by @Moravcik67_ on social media.