Everything you need to know about the new ‘Swiss model’ Champions League | Champions League

How does the new format work?

This is a high-stakes experiment by UEFA, initially implemented for the 2024-27 Champions League cycle. The old group stage has been replaced by a single 36-team league table in which each team plays eight games against as many different opponents, four at home and four away. Known as the “Swiss model”, it will culminate in a top eight, all of whom qualify directly for the knockout stage, with a further 16 teams playing in a play-off round in between. The teams finishing between 25th and 36th will be eliminated when the league stage ends in January. The knockouts will have a familiar look, a round of 16 running through to the final in Munich next May, and will be grouped together so that each team can plot its potential path.

Why was this implemented?

Broadly speaking, Europe’s bigger clubs wanted a greater density of so-called glamour ties. It had been discussed for years; an original version that reserved two places for teams based on historical performance rather than recent success was scrapped in 2022 after unrest among clubs lower down the pecking order.

The new format, which the Super League rebels largely agreed to before their attempted secession in 2021, will see each team get two games against teams from their own pot. That will be music to the ears of the elite names in pot one, who believe that games between each other will rake in the punters and therefore the money.

What could make it a success?

Perhaps those big games will provide enough excitement to banish fears of a Super League into the distant past, keeping the giants happy and those below them with enough crumbs. Perhaps the games between the lower pots will also give some of the lesser-known names a shot at reaching the end of the competition if all 18 final games on matchday eight are played simultaneously. In such a big table, with relatively few games played, a win or two could put a Shakhtar Donetsk or Brest in contention for a run well into 2025.

What are the possible disadvantages?

There is more than enough football being played these days and the wisdom of playing 144 games to eliminate just 12 teams may prove to be shaky. While each matchday in the league stage contains one or two important games, it is worth asking whether there is enough danger in those games to make them really interesting. There must also be a question whether there are enough truly excellent teams in Europe these days to create the prize that UEFA hopes for, given the increased concentration of wealth and resources among a very few.

While the bloated standings and relatively minimal number of points available across eight games should allow for plenty of movement on the final matchday in January, there may be little excitement for fans in finding out whether their team has finished, say, 10th or 11th, even if there are knockout group advantages. And perhaps the biggest question of all: will this new, expanded format quickly find the captive audience it needs?

How does the draw on Thursday work?

A new ‘hybrid concept’ will replace the old-fashioned method of picking balls from bowls. Each team will still be physically picked by hand before software designed by AE Live, a technology solutions provider that works with a range of major sporting bodies, selects their eight opponents. No club can play another team from their own domestic league, and no one can play more than two games against teams from a given country. Fans keeping their fingers on Skyscanner can take it easy: the fixture list, including the order in which the games will be played, will not be published until Saturday.

Does this make the draw vulnerable to cyber attacks?

“We take cybersecurity incredibly seriously,” said Dave Gill, CEO of AE Live. “This is clearly a sensitive issue. I don’t want to go into the details of what we’re doing, but I can assure you that we’ve taken every possible step to make sure this is as safe and secure as possible.” Gill said his company was targeted by attacks while working on Fifa’s Qatar 2022 draw following Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine. “We’ve been through this,” he added. “We’ve carried out risk assessments and put precautions in place.”

On Wednesday, UEFA deputy general secretary and director of football Giorgio Marchetti pointed out that the original version of the plan included 10 group stage matches. That has been reduced, but clubs and players will surely be keen to avoid the two play-off matches in February. And if someone ends up unhappy, whose fault is it anyway? “The need to play regular matches in Europe comes from the clubs, not from UEFA,” Marchetti noted. The message was crystal clear: don’t blame us for the crowds or the workload; blame those who have the real power these days.

Is this format fixed forever?

Absolutely not. Everything remains open for the 2027 cycle and, while he has doubled down on his belief that UEFA has found a system that works for everyone, Marchetti has not committed to the long-term future when given the chance. There are those in elite club football who genuinely believe the format offers a viable way forward; there are those who see it as a bridge to something else. The mid-tier clubs in the draw will surely be keen to achieve a run of last-24 finishes, as a minimum, in the Swiss model era. The overarching hope, for most of Europe at least, will be that it can stave off further attempts to create a Super League.

Thursday’s draw can be watched live online via UEFA’s website and YouTube channel from 17:00 (BST).