No jeopardy but loads of fun - is new Champions League format a success? — SkimNews
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- UEFA replaced the old 32-team group stage with a 36-team league phase beginning in 2024-25, with each side playing 8 one-off fixtures; the top 8 advance directly to the knockout rounds, 9th–24th enter a playoff, and the bottom 8 are eliminated.
- The Champions League has produced 187 goals at 4.16 per game this season — the highest goals-per-game average in Champions League history and the third highest in European Cup history, behind only 1959-60 (4.19) and 1955-56 (4.38).
- Matchday two set an all-time Champions League record with 78 goals across its two days of fixtures, nine more than the then-record 69 scored on matchday one.
- There have been no goalless draws in this season's competition, while the Premier League (2.9), La Liga (3.03) and Bundesliga (3.69) all trail well behind the Champions League's goals-per-game average.
- Former Manchester United and England winger Ashley Young told BBC Radio 5 Live: "Look how many goals have been scored, it's phenomenal. The attackers are being clinical."
- The Times football writer Tom Arnott argued the format "allows all the teams to loosen up" and delivers entertainment, but questioned whether quality has risen: "If I'm looking at the games it's brilliant to watch and thrilling because the football itself is fantastic — but what do they mean?"
Why it matters: UEFA's format overhaul has transformed the Champions League's early phase from cautious group-stage football into a high-scoring shootout, with last week's 78-goal matchday setting an all-time record — but the lack of jeopardy for teams needing only 5 wins from 8 means clubs feel free to attack, reshaping how elite European football looks at the league-phase stage.
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