Feyenoord is assured of second place in the Eredivisie, and thus qualification for the Champions League. As is known, the tournament will look slightly different next season than before. For example, 36 clubs are now participating, instead of the 32 in recent years, and each participant will play no fewer than 8 group stage matches instead of 6.
The set-up
This group stage looks different than we are used to. Instead of home and away games against the same three opponents, each team will face eight different opponents: four away and four at home. This format also means that the tournament says goodbye to the individual groups. Instead, all 36 participants are part of the same large rankings.
Only numbers 1 to 8 in this ranking qualify directly for the knockout phase. Numbers 9 to 16 are paired with numbers 17 to 24 in an intermediate round, with the highest-ranking team playing the return at home. The tournament is over immediately for numbers 25 to 36. ‘Relegation’ to the Europa League, as happened to Feyenoord last year, no longer exists in the new setup.
The play dates
The new format also means that the competition schedule looks slightly different. The most important change is that every participant automatically ‘hibernates’, because the last two group stage matches will be played in January. In addition, it is no longer standard that rounds in the various European tournaments take place in the same week. That is why during the first round, in addition to Tuesday and Wednesday, football in the Champions League is also played on Thursday.
Group stage playing dates:
Matchday 1: September 17 to 19, 2024
Matchday 2: October 1 and 2, 2024
Matchday 3: October 22 and 23, 2024
Matchday 4: November 5 and 6, 2024
Matchday 5: November 26 and 27, 2024
Matchday 6: December 10 and 11, 2024
Matchday 7: January 21 and 22, 2025
Matchday 8: January 29, 2025
Click here to see all performance dates.
The lottery
On August 29, 2024, Feyenoord will know which eight clubs it will face in the group stage. However, due to the more complex design, the draw will also look different. Instead of the well-known balls, the draw will be made by a computer. During the draw, a club is drawn each time, which is then paired with eight opponents. The pots 1 to 4 that we know from the old setup still exist. Clubs face two opponents from each pot – including the one they are in themselves.
The participants
As number two in the Eredivisie, Feyenoord – just like of course number 1 PSV – is certain of participation in the Champions League. A total of 10 of the 36 clubs are currently known. In addition to Feyenoord and PSV, these are Arsenal, Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayer Leverkusen, Bayern Munich, Internazionale, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain.
In these top competitions, several clubs are still competing for the remaining tickets. The champions of Portugal, Belgium, Scotland and Austria will also enter directly, as will of course the winners of the Champions League and Europa League. Another two additional tickets will go to the countries that collect the most coefficients during the current European season. At the moment these are Italy and Germany.
The last seven tickets will be distributed through the preliminary rounds. These are split into a champion path (five tickets) and a non-champion path (two tickets). In this first path, the champions of countries that are not eligible for a direct ticket will compete. The non-champion path goes between clubs from countries where the champions are directly placed. In the Netherlands, for example, FC Twente is on course to reach this preliminary round.
Tags: Overview information Champions League format
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