The Champions League is now well into its second season with a fresh look. UEFA Deputy Secretary-General Giorgio Marchetti recently gave us the lowdown on how these changes are playing out. The big news? A significant boost in the competition’s earnings.
Marchetti confirmed that revenues have jumped, moving from €3.5 billion to a hefty €4.4 billion. This isn’t just about bigger numbers; it also means a fairer split. The solidarity mechanism, which sends funds to clubs outside the top tiers, now gets a bigger slice of the pie. It takes 7% of the total revenue, roughly €308 million. Plus, how money is distributed among the participating clubs has also changed. The goal is to better reward teams for their performance on the pitch. Marchetti shared these insights during the opening session of the Puma Stage on the third day of the Portugal Football Summit.
Why the Big Change?
The idea for shaking things up wasn’t new. Marchetti revealed that discussions about the future of UEFA competitions started way back in 2018, even before the global pandemic hit. Something simply had to give. While the Champions League was already considered the best club competition around, it needed a refresh to stay relevant and exciting for the future.
Interest was starting to cool because the tournament felt a bit predictable, especially as it moved into the later stages. Fans and officials alike wanted more thrilling matches between Europe’s elite, and they wanted them sooner.
More Drama, More Matches
The new format introduces a league phase where every team faces eight different opponents. This is a big departure from the old group stage. Previously, we saw 48 unique matches. Now, every single game is different, adding up to a massive 144 unique matchups. This tweak has brought a welcome increase in balance and competitiveness. Marchetti pointed out that we’re seeing Pot 1 teams go head-to-head much earlier, something that used to be reserved for the knockout rounds.
The changes have also tightened the gaps between teams. This means “at least one huge game every matchday,” which is music to any football fan’s ears. We’ve already seen a top-seeded Pot 1 club get knocked out, while a team from Pot 4 defied expectations and qualified directly. This shows the new unpredictability at play. In fact, Pot 4 clubs have bumped their average points from 0.4 to a full 1 point.
Wider Reach, More Opportunities
Marchetti concluded that the goal was a more unpredictable and dynamic competition, where the best teams would challenge each other from the start, not just at the very end. He believes these changes have genuinely improved the competition.
The new format also means more clubs and countries are getting a taste of European football. In the previous cycle, clubs from about 35 nations participated each year. Last season, with the new Champions League format, that number grew to 40. When you factor in the Europa Conference League, a total of 51 different countries are now represented across UEFA’s club competitions. This season, four new clubs are gracing the Champions League, with roughly 12 more fresh faces joining the Europa League and Conference League.