After exhaustive consultations with interested parties today in Vienna, the UEFA Executive Committee, which includes UAF President Andriy Pavelko, ratified the final format and access list for European club competitions for the 2024/2025 season according to its decision from April 19, 2021, regarding the so-called Swiss system.

Key amendments concern reducing the number of matches from ten to eight at the Champions League stage and changing criteria for distributing two out of four additional places in the UEFA Champions League by removing access based on club coefficient. This confirms UEFA's firm intention to follow the principle of open competitions and sporting merit, while recognizing the need to protect national leagues.

Eight matches of the UEFA Champions League will be played over ten European weeks as provided for in the decision made in April 2021. The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Conference League will each receive one week of exclusive calendar time.

The four additional places created due to an increase from 32 to 36 teams at the Champions League stage will be distributed as follows:

— One place will go to a club that finished third in its league and holds fifth position in the UEFA national associations ranking;

— One place will be awarded to the champion of a country due to an increase from four to five clubs qualifying through what is called the Champions Path;

— The last two places will go to associations with the best collective performance indicators of their clubs in the previous season (total number of points divided by the number of participating teams). These two associations will bring one place each for a club with the highest ranking in its national league after positions in the UEFA Champions League. For example, at the end of this current season, England and the Netherlands would have added an extra team to the Champions League based on their collective results;

— The UEFA Executive Committee once again confirmed that all games before the final will continue to be played mid-week, recognizing the importance of the internal calendar of matches across Europe.

Commenting on the decision, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said: "Today UEFA clearly demonstrated our boundless respect for fundamental sports values and protecting the key principle of open qualification based on sporting merit in full accordance with European sport's values and model, which is solidarity-based.

Today’s decisions conclude a major consultation process during which we listened to fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs, leagues, etc., to find the best solution for the development and success of European football both domestically and on the international club stage.

We are convinced that the chosen format provides the right balance and will improve competitiveness while generating solid revenues that can be distributed among clubs, leagues, and mass football across our continent, enhancing the appeal and popularity of our club competitions.

I am very pleased that this was a unanimous decision by the UEFA Executive Committee when the association of European clubs, European leagues, and national associations agreed with the proposals put forward. Another proof that European football is more united than ever.

Thus, qualification will be based exclusively on sporting results, and the dream of participation remains for all clubs."

Details of the format

Considering an increase in the overall number of teams in the UEFA Champions League from 32 to 36, the biggest change will be moving away from a traditional group stage to a single league phase that includes all participating teams. Now each club will be guaranteed at least eight matches in the league against eight different opponents (four home and four away), rather than the previous six matches against three teams played both home and away.

The top eight teams in the league automatically qualify for the knockout stage, while teams finishing from ninth to 24th will compete in a two-legged playoff to secure their place in the round of 16.

Similar format changes will also be applied to the UEFA Europa League (eight matches at the league stage) and the UEFA Conference League (six matches at the league stage), with 36 teams participating in each league phase as well.