Editing UEFA Champions League (section)

==Format==
[[File:UEFA members Champs League group stage.png|thumb|upright=2.05|A map of UEFA countries whose teams have reached the league phase or group stage of the UEFA Champions League {{legend|#67E863|UEFA member state that has been represented in the league phase or group stage}} {{legend|#6085EF|UEFA member state that has not been represented in the league phase or group stage}}]]

===Qualification===
{{See also|UEFA coefficient}}

The UEFA Champions League used to begin with a double [[Round-robin tournament|round-robin]] group stage of 32 teams until it evolved into a league phase of 36 teams, which is preceded by two qualification 'streams' for teams that do not receive direct entry to the tournament proper. The two streams are divided between teams qualified by virtue of being league champions, and those qualified by virtue of finishing second, third or fourth in their national championship.

The number of teams that each association enters into the UEFA Champions League is based upon the [[UEFA coefficient#Men's association coefficient|UEFA coefficients]] of the member associations. These coefficients are generated by the results of clubs representing each association during the previous five Champions League, [[UEFA Europa League|Europa League]] and [[UEFA Conference League|Conference League]] seasons. The higher an association's coefficient, the more teams represent the association in the Champions League, and the fewer qualification rounds the association's teams must compete in.

Five of the remaining seven qualifying places are granted to the winners of a four-round qualifying tournament between the remaining 43 or 44 national champions, within which those champions from associations with higher coefficients receive byes to later rounds. The other two are granted to the winners of a three-round qualifying tournament between ten and eleven clubs from the associations ranked 5–6 through 15, which have qualified based upon finishing second, third or fourth in their respective national league.

In addition to sporting criteria, any club must be licensed by its national association to participate in the Champions League. To obtain a license, the club must meet certain stadium, infrastructure and finance requirements.

In [[2005–06 UEFA Champions League|2005–06]], Liverpool and [[FC Petržalka|Artmedia Bratislava]] became the first teams to reach the Champions League group stage after playing in all three qualifying rounds. Real Madrid and Barcelona hold the record for the most appearances in the group stage, having qualified 29 times, followed by Bayern Munich on 28.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/news/0257-0e994d4dc7ad-61a6d5d372dd-1000--champions-league-group-stage-league-phase-records-and-stati/ |title=Champions League group stage/league phase records and statistics |website=[[UEFA]] |date=12 February 2025 |access-date=20 May 2025}}</ref>

Between 1999 and 2008, no differentiation was made between champions and non-champions in qualification. The 16 top-ranked teams spread across the biggest domestic leagues qualified directly for the tournament group stage. Prior to this, three preliminary knockout qualifying rounds whittled down the remaining teams, with teams starting in different rounds.

An exception to the usual European qualification system happened in 2005, after Liverpool won the Champions League the year before, but did not finish in a Champions League qualification place in the Premier League that season. UEFA gave special dispensation for Liverpool to enter the Champions League, giving England five qualifiers.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/4613695.stm|title=Liverpool get in Champions League|work=BBC Sport |date=10 June 2005|access-date=11 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051013141511/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/l/liverpool/4613695.stm|archive-date=13 October 2005|url-status=live}}</ref> UEFA subsequently ruled that the defending champions qualify for the competition the following year regardless of their domestic league placing. However, for those leagues with four entrants in the Champions League, this meant that, if the Champions League winner fell outside of its domestic league's top four, it would qualify at the expense of the fourth-placed team in the league. Until 2015–16, no association could have more than four entrants in the Champions League.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind=64/newsid=698237.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index |title=New coefficient system |publisher=Union of European Football Associations |date=20 May 2008 |access-date=12 September 2010 |archive-date=21 May 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080521053931/http://www.uefa.com/uefa/keytopics/kind%3D64/newsid%3D698237.html?cid=rssfeed&att=index}}</ref> In May 2012, [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]] finished fourth in the [[2011–12 Premier League]], two places ahead of Chelsea, but failed to qualify for the [[2012–13 UEFA Champions League|2012–13 Champions League]], after Chelsea won the [[2012 UEFA Champions League Final|2012 final]].<ref name="Spurs_Chelsea"/> Tottenham were demoted to the [[2012–13 UEFA Europa League]].<ref name="Spurs_Chelsea">{{cite news|title=Harry Redknapp and Spurs given bitter pill of Europa League by Chelsea|url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/may/20/harry-redknapp-spurs-europa-league|work=[[The Guardian]]|publisher=Guardian News and Media|date=20 May 2012|access-date=24 November 2012|archive-date=17 May 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517121840/http://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/may/20/harry-redknapp-spurs-europa-league|url-status=live}}</ref>

In May 2013,<ref name=Uefa-May2013a>{{cite web|url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0253-0d7eeaa6f83e-2abd852aed6e-1000--added-bonus-for-uefa-europa-league-winners/|title=Added bonus for UEFA Europa League winners|publisher=Union of European Football Associations|date=24 May 2013|access-date=18 June 2021|archive-date=25 June 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210625015940/https://www.uefa.com/insideuefa/about-uefa/news/0253-0d7eeaa6f83e-2abd852aed6e-1000--added-bonus-for-uefa-europa-league-winners/|url-status=live}}</ref> it was decided that, starting from the [[2015–16 UEFA Champions League|2015–16 season]] (and continuing at least for the three-year cycle until the [[2017–18 UEFA Champions League|2017–18 season]]), the winners of the previous season's [[UEFA Europa League]] would qualify for the UEFA Champions League, entering at least the play-off round, and entering the group stage if the berth reserved for the Champions League title holders was not used. The previous limit of a maximum of four teams per association was increased to five, meaning that a fourth-placed team from one of the top three ranked associations would only have to be moved to the Europa League if both the Champions League and Europa League winners came from that association and both finished outside the top four of their domestic league.<ref name=2015AccessExplained>{{cite web|url=http://kassiesa.net/uefafiles/2015-18-uefa-access-list-explanations.pdf|title=UEFA Access List 2015/18 with explanations|publisher=Bert Kassies|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141024224020/http://kassiesa.net/uefafiles/2015-18-uefa-access-list-explanations.pdf|archive-date=24 October 2014|url-status=live}}</ref> Starting from the 2018–19 season, the Europa League winners would receive automatic qualification for the Champions League group stage, with no additional entries required.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.goal.com/en/news/champions-league-2018-19-explained-how-uefas-changes-impact-qualification-spots/1m5pkx9eax9021wegmgutisiti|title=Champions League 2018-19 explained: How UEFA's changes impact qualification spots|last=Kelly|first=Ryan|date=18 April 2018|work=Goal.com}}</ref> Starting from the 2024–25 season, the two associations with the highest coefficients from the previous season would receive an extra Champions League spot (known as European Performance Spot) into the league phase. The Champions League and Europa League winners would not be able to fill the European Performance Spots, and they would still receive an additional spot if one or both came from the same top-five association and finished outside of the top four of their domestic league, although the fourth-placed team of the league would no longer compete in the Europa League, increasing the maximum number of teams per association from five to seven.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/story/_/id/43040290/the-race-five-places-next-seasons-champions-league|title=Premier League, LaLiga win extra Champions League places in 2024-25|last=Johnson|first=Dale|date=9 May 2025|work=[[ESPN]]}}</ref>

In 2007, [[Michel Platini]], the UEFA president, had proposed taking one place from the three leagues with four entrants and allocating it to that nation's cup winners. This proposal was rejected in a vote at a UEFA Strategy Council meeting.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/13/sfnuef113.xml|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113232046/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/main.jhtml?xml=/sport/2007/11/13/sfnuef113.xml|archive-date=13 November 2007|title=Clubs force UEFA's Michel Platini into climbdown|newspaper=The Daily Telegraph|date=13 November 2007|access-date=2 December 2007|first=David|last=Bond}}</ref> In the same meeting, however, it was agreed that the third-placed team in the top three leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage, rather than entry into the third qualifying round, while the fourth-placed team would enter the play-off round for non-champions, guaranteeing an opponent from one of the top 15 leagues in Europe. This was part of Platini's plan to increase the number of teams qualifying directly into the group stage, while simultaneously increasing the number of teams from lower-ranked nations in the group stage.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/europe/7090646.stm|title=Platini's Euro Cup plan rejected|publisher=BBC Sport|date=12 December 2007|access-date=11 December 2007|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071113065729/http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/europe/7090646.stm|archive-date=13 November 2007|url-status=live}}</ref> In the reforming plan for the 2018–21 cycle, which was announced in August 2016 and confirmed in December, the top four teams in the top four leagues would receive automatic qualification for the group stage.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.goal.com/en/news/uefa-announces-top-four-leagues-to-get-four-guaranteed-champions-/blt7fd4ffdcda3f7ba5|title=UEFA announces top four leagues to get four guaranteed Champions League spots|last=Staunton|first=Peter|date=26 August 2016|work=Goal.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://en.as.com/en/2016/12/09/soccer/1481314103_008421.html|title=Official: Uefa confirm reforms to Champions League 2018-21|date=9 December 2016|work=[[Diario AS]]|agency=AFP}}</ref>

In 2012, [[Arsène Wenger]] referred to qualifying for the Champions League by finishing in the top four places in the [[Premier League]] as the "4th Place Trophy". The phrase was coined after a pre-match conference when he was questioned about Arsenal's lack of a trophy after exiting the [[FA Cup]]. He said "The first trophy is to finish in the top four".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/feb/19/arsene-wenger-arsenal-fourth-place |title=Arsène Wenger says Champions League place is a 'trophy' |newspaper=Guardian |access-date=15 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140517151342/https://www.theguardian.com/football/2012/feb/19/arsene-wenger-arsenal-fourth-place |archive-date=17 May 2014 |url-status=live}}</ref> At Arsenal's 2012 AGM, Wenger was also quoted as saying: "For me there are five trophies every season: Premier League, Champions League, the third is to qualify for the Champions League..."<ref>{{cite web |title=Arsenal's Trophy Cabinet |url=http://talksport.com/magazine/virals/121026/picture-arsenals-trophy-cabinet-redesigned-include-new-fourth-place-trop-183898 |website=Talksport |date=26 October 2012 |access-date=15 May 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131118063346/http://talksport.com/magazine/virals/121026/picture-arsenals-trophy-cabinet-redesigned-include-new-fourth-place-trop-183898 |archive-date=18 November 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref>

===League phase and knockout phase===
Beginning with the 2024–25 season, UEFA changed the format of their three club competitions, abandoning the group stage in favour of an expanded league phase.<ref>{{Cite web |first=Ben |last=Grounds |title=Champions League 2024/25: Everything you need to know about the new format of Europe's most prestigious club competition |url=https://www.skysports.com/football/news/11095/13143876/champions-league-2024-25-everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-format-of-europes-most-prestigious-club-competition |website=[[Sky Sports]] |date=14 August 2024 |access-date=22 August 2024 }}</ref> The number of participating teams was increased from 32 to 36 teams. Teams are no longer divided into groups of four teams each but are ranked in a single table resembling the [[Swiss-system tournament]] format.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-12-09 |title=What is the Swiss Model in Champions League? UEFA's new UCL format to replace group stage explained |url=https://www.sportingnews.com/us/soccer/news/swiss-model-champions-league-uefa-debut-ucl-format-group-stage/a2d1e16bb0f0d24b364d4db4 |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=Sporting News |language=en-us}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-09-10 |title=New Champions League format explained: How does 'Swiss' system work, number of teams, league phase |url=https://www.cbssports.com/soccer/news/new-champions-league-format-explained-how-does-swiss-system-work-number-of-teams-league-phase/ |access-date=2025-05-08 |website=CBSSports.com |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Ames |first=Nick |date=2024-08-28 |title=Everything you need to know about the new ‘Swiss model’ Champions League |url=https://www.theguardian.com/football/article/2024/aug/28/everything-you-need-to-know-about-the-new-swiss-model-champions-league |access-date=2025-05-08 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Each team plays eight matches against eight different opponents. For the draw of the league phase, teams are divided into four seeding pots according to their [[UEFA coefficient]]. Each team will play against two teams from each pot, one home and one away. The league phase is played from September to January, while the knockout phase begins in February, with matches predominantly played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights.

After the league phase, a two-legged knockout play-off round is played between teams finishing 9–16 (seeded) and 17–24 (unseeded) in the league phase. Teams finishing in the top eight of the league phase receive a bye to the round of 16 as seeded teams, while the eight winning teams from the knockout play-off round will enter the round of 16 draw as unseeded teams. Teams finishing 25th–36th place in the league phase and the eight losers of the knockout play-offs are eliminated from the competition and from European football since it is no longer possible to enter the Europa League from the league phase onwards.

After the round of 16 the competition follows the traditional knockout format with quarter-finals, semi-finals (both two legged and without association draw protection) and then the final at a venue chosen prior to the season. The final is typically held in late May or early June.

Prior to the 2024–25 season, there was a group stage of 32 teams, divided into eight groups of four.<ref name="CL Format">{{cite news |title=Champions League explained |url=https://www.premierleague.com/uefa-champions-league-explained |access-date=16 January 2020 |website=PremierLeague.com |archive-date=16 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200116055207/https://www.premierleague.com/uefa-champions-league-explained |url-status=live}}</ref> The draw to determine which teams entered each group was [[Seed (sports)|seeded]] based on each team's [[UEFA coefficient]], and no group could contain more than one club from each association. Each team played six group stage games, meeting the other three teams in its group home and away in a round-robin format.<ref name="CL Format"/> The first place team and the runners-up from each group then progressed to the next round. The third-placed teams entered the Europa League's knockout round and the fourth-placed teams were eliminated from the competition.

For the next stage—the last 16—the winning team from one group played against the runners-up from another group, but teams from the same association could not be drawn against each other (see [[random two-sided matching]]). From the quarter-finals onwards, the draw was entirely random, without association protection.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/competitions/Regulations/01/63/02/44/1630244_DOWNLOAD.pdf |title=Regulations of the UEFA Champions League 2011/12 |page=10 |website=[[UEFA]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110616163203/https://www.uefa.com/MultimediaFiles/Download/Regulations/competitions/Regulations/01/63/02/44/1630244_DOWNLOAD.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2011}}</ref>

The group stage was played from September to December, whilst the knockout stage began in February, with matches usually played on Tuesday and Wednesday nights. The knockout ties were played in a two-legged format, with the exception of the final. In the [[2019–20 UEFA Champions League|2019–20 season]], due to the [[COVID-19 pandemic]] the tournament was suspended for five months. The format of the remainder of the tournament was temporarily amended as a result, with the quarter-finals and semi-finals being played as single match knockout ties at neutral venues in Lisbon, Portugal in the summer with the final taking place on 23 August 2020.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.espn.com/soccer/report?gameId=573698|title=Bayern Munich beat Paris Saint-Germain to win Champions League|publisher=ESPN|date=23 August 2020|access-date=23 August 2020|archive-date=7 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107084610/https://www.espn.com/soccer/report?gameId=573698|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Distribution===
The following is the default access list.

{| class="wikitable"
|+Access list for UEFA Champions League from 2024−25 season<ref>{{cite news |title=UEFA approves final format and access list for its club competitions as of the 2024/25 season |url=https://www.uefa.com/news-media/news/0275-151c779310c3-b92bbf0d24f9-1000--format-access-list-for-24-25-onwards-approved/ |work=Return to Play |publisher=UEFA |date=10 May 2022 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220511080232/https://www.uefa.com/returntoplay/news/0275-151c779310c3-b92bbf0d24f9-1000--format-access-list-for-24-25-onwards-approved/ |archive-date=11 May 2022}}</ref>
|-
!colspan="2"|
!Teams entering in this round
!Teams advancing from the previous round
|-
!colspan="2"|First qualifying round<br />(32 teams)
|
* 32 champions from associations 23–55 (except Liechtenstein)
|
|-
!rowspan="2"|Second qualifying round
!Champions Path<br />(24 teams)
|
* 8 champions from associations 15–22
|
* 16 winners from the first qualifying round
|-
!League Path<br />(6 teams)
|
* 6 runners-up from associations 10–15
|
|-
!rowspan="2"|Third qualifying round
!Champions Path<br />(12 teams)
|
|
* 12 winners from the second qualifying round (Champions Path)
|-
!League Path<br />(8 teams)
|
* 3 runners-up from associations 7–9
* 1 third-placed team from association 6
* 1 fourth-placed team from association 5
|
* 3 winners from the second qualifying round (League Path)
|-
!rowspan="2"|Play-off round
!Champions Path<br />(10 teams)
|
* 4 champions from associations 11–14
|
* 6 winners from the third qualifying round (Champions Path)
|-
!League Path<br />(4 teams)
|
|
* 4 winners from the third qualifying round (League Path)
|-
!colspan="2"|League phase<br />(36 teams)
|
* UEFA Champions League title holders
* [[UEFA Europa League]] title holders
* 10 champions from associations 1–10
* 6 runners-up from associations 1–6
* 5 third-placed teams from associations 1–5
* 4 fourth-placed teams from associations 1–4
* 2 teams from associations with the highest 1-year association coefficient
|
* 5 winners from the play-off round (Champions Path)
* 2 winners from the play-off round (League Path)
|-
! colspan="2" |Preliminary knockout round<br />(16 teams)
|
|
* 16 teams ranked from 9−24 in league phase
|-
! colspan="2" |Knockout phase<br />(16 teams)
|

|
* 8 Winners from previous play-off
* 8 Teams ranked from 1−8 in league phase
|-
|}
Changes will be made to the access list above if the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the tournament via their domestic leagues.
* If the Champions League title holders qualify for the league phase via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the best champions in qualifying rounds enter the league phase, and champions of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are also promoted accordingly.
* If the Europa League title holders qualify for the league phase via their domestic league's standard berth allocation, the best club in qualifying rounds enters the league phase, except for the runners-up of associations 11–15, as they have a higher-ranked domestic team in the qualifiers, and teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are also promoted accordingly.
* If the Champions League or Europa League title holders qualify for the qualifying rounds via their domestic league, their spot in the qualifying rounds is vacated, and teams of the highest-ranked associations in earlier rounds are promoted accordingly.