The Dawn of a European Football Renaissance: Unveiling the Next Chapter of the Champions League

Champions League: The Start of a New Era in European Football

The Champions League is back and this season promises to be one for the books. As we gear up for another year of elite football, there are plenty of surprises in store.

Preliminary Round: Who Are These Teams?

Kopavogur, Iceland will host a four-team preliminary round featuring sides you may never have heard of. Athletic d’Escaldes (Andorra), Buducnost Podgorica (Montenegro), Tre Penne (San Marino) and Breidablik (Iceland) are all vying for a spot in the next phase. Only two teams will advance- who will it be?

Qualifying Rounds: A Long Road Ahead

The winning team from the preliminary round will move on to face Irish side Shamrock Rovers as part of three grueling qualifying rounds before reaching the group stages. A total of 78 teams representing 53 countries will take part but notably absent once again are Russian sides due to UEFA’s ongoing ban after Putin’s invasion into Ukraine.

Newcomers and Returning Teams

This season sees Union Berlin making their debut appearance after finishing fourth place in Germany’s Bundesliga last season. Meanwhile, Newcastle returns to European competition for the first time since their run in the Europa League during the 2013-14 season after coming fourth place in Premier League standings.

“We’re thrilled to be playing among Europe’s finest clubs once again,” said Newcastle manager Steve Bruce at a recent press conference.

A Change In Format For Future Seasons

As we gear up for another exciting season, it’s worth noting that this will be the last year of the existing format before changes come into play next year. From 2024-25 onwards, there will be 36 sides taking part with two extra places awarded to countries whose clubs have performed best in previous campaigns.

The new format will see all teams playing eight matches against different opponents both home and away resulting in a single league table ranking all 36 sides. The top eight ranked teams go straight into knockout stages.

Final Thoughts

This season promises to deliver football at its finest as we look forward to seeing who comes out on top. With more surprises than ever before, it seems anything can happen in European football.