Manchester United have already had their place in the 2024/25 Europa League confirmed after winning the FA Cup last season. But Erik ten Hag’s men are in for a world of change when they enter the European competition in just a few months’ time.
Despite finishing eighth in the Premier League – and therefore not qualifying for any of the three UEFA tournaments via their placing – United ensured that they would be in Europe for the eighth straight year. Not since the 2014/15 season, which came after David Moyes’ struggles in 2013/14, have they been outside of both the Champions League and Europa League.
But come the start of the new season there will be a new system in place with wholesale changes. Alongside the Conference League and Champions League, instead of eight different groups, 36 teams will be placed into one giant league table for the first phase of the tournament.
The governing body has now released fresh guidance to explain the changes, with a new ‘Swiss model’ in place. Come the end of the eight-match group stage between September and January (extended for the extra two games), 24 sides will progress into the knockout phase. The Conference League follows a slightly different league phase.
The point system used during the group will remain consistent with top-flight leagues though – three points per win, one per draw – and the split of home-away group games will be equal, but with four rather than three as has been the norm for years since the European Cup rebrand. Teams will be seeded into four pots of nine teams to decipher which opponents are played, against eight different teams.
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The seedings for the pots are decided by UEFA’s five-year club coefficient. United are currently in 11th, and the draw will see them face two teams from each of the four pots, one from each pot will be a home game and the other an away game. The Champions League holders (Real Madrid), go directly into pot one.
It is done this way to bring competitive balance throughout the competition. Once the league phase ends, teams then ranked first through to eighth in the 36-side table will go directly into the last-16. Those between ninth and 24th will be entered into a knockout play-off – of two-legs – to reach the round of 16 as well.
Any sides below 25th in the table will be eliminated at the group stage. The next stage is somewhat more complicated, with UEFA claiming that the knockout ‘seeding system’ will deliver ‘more sporting incentives.’
In essence, the knockout ‘table’ – more commonly seen as a grid and pathway to the final – will be formed based on rankings from the league. Unlike the current system which has draws at each knockout stage, and other than first place drawing second-placed sides in the last-16 doesn’t reward teams throughout, the entire progress will be impacted by the league standings.
Teams will be paired and split into opposite parts of the draw. So one of the top-ranked sides will be on the left half of the knockout road and the other on the right, meaning they cannot meet until the final, in theory.
The knockout play-offs ‘draw’ is also determined by the league phase, with those between ninth to 16th facing those 17th to 24th, and the seeded clubs will play at home in the second leg. Into the round of 16 and those ranked first to eighth in the initial league table will face the winners of the play-off ties. Again, the seeded teams will be at home second.
There is then a standard pathway to the final with two-legged ties in the last-16, quarters, and semis before the standalone final. That will be played in May, as is normal, but even the calendar itself has been changed.
There will be one tournament specific matchday across the season where only games from a single UEFA competition displayed. The Europa League’s one comes in September. There are two group games then in October and November, but just one in December due to the Conference League having its own matchday that month.
The last two group games are played in January before the knockout play-offs start in February, and the round-of-16 in March. The quarter-finals are in April, with the remaining games all in May.
UEFA has also confirmed that the projected revenue is over £4billion per season, with over £3billion of that going to clubs. There will be an additional 2.5% share of revenue given to each club just for participating in the tournament, up to 27.5%, with success related payments accounting for an increased 37.% of the total prize pool. The new ‘value’ distribution pillar will only carry 35%, down 10%.