UEFA announced on Tuesday that the revamped version of the Champions League will incorporate a tennis-like seeding system for the Round of 16, while revealing details about changes in the elite club competition. The draw system will become semi-automatic instead of the manual draw that has been a hallmark of the tournament.
The competition will expand next season from 32 to 36 clubs, replacing the current group stage, which consists of six groups of four teams each, with a single group format where teams will play eight matches against different opponents. The top eight teams will directly qualify for the Round of 16, while teams ranked ninth to 24 will compete for the remaining spots.
Unlike the current open draw for the Round of 16, clubs will be seeded in the draw similar to a tennis draw based on their performance in the group stage. This means that the top-seeded and second-seeded teams cannot meet until the final, and they cannot face teams seeded third and fourth until at least the semifinals.
This marks the first change in the Champions League since the knockout stage of 16 teams replaced the second group stage in the 2003-2004 season. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, UEFA's Deputy Secretary-General and Director of Football Giorgio Marchetti stated that "the new format will make the competition unpredictable, ensure more matches between big clubs and reduce preconceived expectations."
The 36 clubs will be divided into four pots, each with nine teams, and each team will face two teams from each of the other pots. The final round of group stage matches will consist of 16 games kicking off simultaneously.
