The UEFA Champions League is the annual club football competition hosted by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and one of the most influential football competitions in the world. The main stage of the Champions League is divided into several stages: group stage, 1 8 finals, 1 4 finals, semi-finals and finals.
At the end of the group stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stage of the round of 16. If two teams have the same number of points, they will be ranked based on their head-to-head results, goal difference, total goals, etc.
In the group stage, the 32 teams will be divided into eight groups of four teams each. Teams in each group will play two home and away games against the other three opponents in the same group. The group stage is usually played between September and December each year, and in terms of promotion rules, after the group stage, the top two teams in each group will advance to the Champions League 1 8 finals. The third place finishers from each group will play in the UEFA Europa League knockout play-offs.
The allocation of places in the UEFA Champions League is mainly determined by the domestic league rankings of each country or region. Generally, UEFA allocates places to the top leagues of each country or region based on the level and ranking of football in the country or region. The UEFA Champions League is usually divided into eight groups for the group stage. Each group consists of 4 teams, with a total of 32 teams competing in the group stage.
Team TiersBefore the group stage draw, teams are placed according to their European club rankings. Rankings are usually determined based on a team's European results in the previous season. The purpose of bracket is to ensure that there are strong teams from different countries or regions in each group, increasing the competitiveness and fairness of the game.
Separately, it is worth noting that from the start of the 2024-25 season, the UEFA Executive Board has announced a number of changes to the competition, including a possible departure from the current group stage format, but these changes have not yet been finalised.