The UEFA Champions League is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) for the most successful football clubs in Europe. It is one of the most prestigious club trophies in football, possibly the most at club level. It has a global audience of more than 1 billion people (bigger than the SuperBowl)
The tournament was inaugurated in the 1955-1956 season as a competition for winners of the European national football leagues under the name of the European Cup, but since the 1992-1993 season the competing teams have been the top-ranked teams of Europe and the tournament has been renamed the Champions League, though the UEFA Champions League is not to be confused with the UEFA Cup, the second most important competition for European club teams. The switch from a standard cup format to the league based system increased the number of games that each team plays, also significantly increasing the opportunities for TV coverage.
It is possible to watch the Champions League over the internet in certain parts of the UK. BT Sports now have exclusive rights to all Champions League matches which is a great if you are a BT broadband customer however there are many areas of the British Isles that don’t have that option. Their only way of watching Champions League football is to pay for a BT Sports package on top of a Sky package, both of which have no offers for outlying areas of the UK. By selling those rights to BT Sport certain areas of the UK have almost been completely alienated from being able to afford to watch European club football, hence the ever growing popularity of alternative streaming sources.
Champions League Footy Gossip & Views
The inaugural Swiss-style Champions League format continues to surprise with its unpredictability. To secure automatic qualification into the round of 16, teams must place in the league's top eight. Teams from ninth to 24th will battle in play-offs, while those from 25th to 36th face elimination. The final three league phase matches are on December 10-11, January 21-22, and January 29, 2025. Liverpool leads the standings confidently, while Arsenal faces uncertainty despite a strong defensive record.
UEFA reopened the bidding for the 2027 Champions League final after stripping Milan of the event due to redevelopment concerns at San Siro. Milan clubs consider a new stadium. The host will be announced in 2025. UEFA increased solidarity funding to 308m euros for 2026-27. Key European leagues will be capped at 10m euros. Women's football strategy for 2024-2030 was agreed without full details released yet.
The new Champions League draw format eliminates the traditional group stage. Teams will be placed in four pots based on seeding and will play two teams from each pot, one home and one away. The draw software selects opponents to prevent teams from the same country facing each other. More top teams will play each other, increasing matches from 125 to 189. Top eight teams advance automatically, while 9th-24th compete in a play-off. The league phase now runs until January. Live coverage available on BBC platforms.
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