A host of major changes is coming to the Champions League next season — a brand-new format with more teams participating, a pet project of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.
The main change is a shift from group stages to a single league, known as the Swiss system. A total of 36 clubs will be competing in a single league with the best teams advancing to the traditional knockout stage.
The expansion from 32 to 36 teams will allow UEFA to allocate four additional spots: one for the Europa League winner, one for the Champions League winner and two for the two best-performing nations this season (2023/24).
This graphic from The Athletic explains the new format nicely:
This is great news for the Premier League — and Arsenal, of course — because the English top flight has been in the top two in six of the past seven seasons.
Although historic coefficients will no longer play the role in awarding two extra CL spots, they show that English clubs have had a great record in Europe in recent years. Thus, England have a great chance to earn the extra Champions League place if they do well in UEFA competitions this campaign, turning the iconic top four race into a top five race.
