New Champions League format: no draw, standings decide

With the new league-style system of 36 teams, every placement matters: Inter Milan would have played their return leg against Barcelona in Spain

In the new 36-team format, there is no longer a draw: standings decide. Inter Milan would have played in Spain against Barcelona. UEFA ranking is decisive for the fifth spot.

As reported by La Gazzetta dello Sport via Fcinter1908, the second season of the new Champions League begins with a substantial change in the regulations. 

The single league of 36 teams remains, with eight matches each and one giant weekly table to follow in the race for the top eight positions that grant direct access to the round of 16. 

Those finishing between ninth and 24th will instead have to face the playoffs, a step that last year proved fatal for Juventus, AC Milan, and Atalanta.

The novelty concerns the venue of the second leg in the knockout stages. The draw is gone: the chance to play the return match at home now belongs to the team with the better ranking in the overall table. 

For example, explains La Gazzetta dello Sport, Inter Milan would have had to play their return match against Barcelona in Spain and not at San Siro. Moreover, if a non-seeded team eliminates a seeded one, it inherits its position and the possible right to host the second leg.

UEFA ranking crucial for Italy’s fifth Champions League spot

On the UEFA ranking side, La Gazzetta dello Sport recalls that Italy starts with four clubs in the Champions League — Napoli, Inter Milan, Juventus, and Atalanta — but none of them are included in the G8 of favorites. 

Italian football still pays the price in terms of philosophy, investments, and working methods, but the pitch has often contradicted predictions: two seasons ago, results in the three European competitions guaranteed Italy an extra Champions League place, alongside Germany, thanks to Inter Milan reaching the final and Atalanta winning the Europa League. Last year, however, it was England and Spain that secured the bonus.

The overall performance of Italian teams, including Roma and Bologna in the Europa League and Fiorentina in the Conference League, will be decisive for climbing the seasonal ranking of nations. The goal remains to finish among the top two positions.

As La Gazzetta dello Sport underlines, the Premier League has six clubs entered: besides Newcastle qualifying thanks to the ranking bonus, also Tottenham as Europa League winners. 

A solution that could, however, prove to be a double-edged sword, because the points are divided by the total number of participating clubs.

In this scenario, qualifying the fifth team for the Champions League gives the Italian league a different meaning, turning the race for European spots into a less prohibitive challenge than in the past.