Champions League is one of the most prestigious competitions in world football. It brings the best clubs from Europe together and provides a rare opportunity for fans to let their loyalty to their club fade away and watch some of the sport’s most talented players in action. The tournament also brings in billions of euros from television deals and sponsorship. But, the tournament can be a brutal place with even the smallest mistakes costing teams dearly.
The tournament was originally a knockout event, but from 1992 it underwent a major revamp and the first of eight groups were introduced. A draw was used to determine the matchups in the group stages, and rules were put in place to ensure that a winner and runner-up from the same group could not be drawn against each other, and that clubs from the same domestic league cannot play each other.
In the knockout rounds, two teams are drawn against each other in a double-legged affair. The team that scores more goals over the course of those two matches, known as legs, advances to the next round. There are some exceptions to this rule, however.
The 2024-25 season saw a change in the format of the Champions League with the number of participating teams increased to 36 and the group stage being replaced by a league phase. Teams will still face seven other opponents over the course of a seven-match campaign, but their order of matches may be reversed due to scheduling or venue conflicts.