Champions League Playoffs Begin Under New Format as Title Race Takes Shape
Veronica Presberg ‘29
Staff Writer
With the UEFA Champions League playoffs, the world’s biggest club soccer event, underway, a new format aims to increase its global audience of more than a billion fans.
The Champions League is widely considered the top competition for soccer clubs, drawing from elite European leagues. According to Yahoo Sports, it is the most-watched club soccer competition in the world, with approximately 1.6 billion viewers.
That large fanbase puts the tournament in the top tier of televised sports. According to Sports Illustrated, the 2023-24 Champions League final drew 145 million viewers globally. By comparison, Super Bowl LIX in 2025 attracted 127 million viewers.
This season, UEFA changed the format to increase revenue and competition. Last year, 32 European teams competed in a traditional group stage, with the top two teams from each of the eight groups advancing to the round of 16.
This year, the Champions League’s new format expanded to 36 teams and replaced group play with eight regular-season games, or league play, from September through January.
The top eight teams in league play advanced directly to the round of 16, bypassing the knockout phase. The teams ranked 9th through 24th then compete in the first elimination round, known as the knockout phase. The eight winners of these games will compete against the top eight teams who already advanced to the round of 16.
The first leg, or match, of the knockout phase took place on Feb. 17 and 18, with the second leg scheduled for Feb. 24 and 25. These games determine which teams will face the top eight Champions League teams: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Tottenham, Chelsea, Barcelona, Sporting and Manchester City.
The playoff games this year follow the usual home-and-away format, where teams face off in two legs at each team’s home fields. The team with the higher aggregate score, the combined scores from the two legs, advances to the next round.
Three clubs have emerged as frontrunners for the title race: Arsenal, Bayern Munich, and Liverpool are the top three teams in the Champions League standings this year.
Arsenal, nicknamed “The Gunners,” are undefeated in the Champions League and have had one of their most successful seasons in years. They hold a perfect 8-0-0 record and a plus-19 point goal differential, scoring 23 goals and conceding four in their eight matches.
The Gunners have also had a standout season in the English Premier League, where they lead by six points with a 16-3-5 record.
Arsenal is also in the EFL Cup final and is in contention for the FA Cup. With the potential to win four trophies, Arsenal fans are excited.
However, recent history offers caution. The Gunners have been in this position before. In 2023, they led the Premier League. After a loss near the end of the season, Arsenal lost the title race to Manchester City. Then, in 2024, the Gunners had a successful campaign in the Champions League but lost in the semi-final to PSG, who went on to become the champions.
Bayern Munich, the second-placed team in the Champions League, has a 7-1-0 record. They have a goals differential of +14, having scored 22 goals and allowing eight. In addition to the Champions League, Bayern leads the German soccer league, the Bundesliga, by 6 points with a 16-1-3 record.
In 3rd place is Liverpool, the long-time Arsenal rivals. Liverpool had a strong regular season in the Champions League. They have a 6-2-0 record with a goal differential of +12. They scored 20 goals and conceded eight.
Liverpool are last year’s reigning Premier League champions but have fallen short in the English league this season. In 6th place, with 39 points, Liverpool is 14 points behind Arsenal with a record of 11-7-6.
With nearly no chance of winning the Premier League and after their elimination from the EFL Cup, the Champions League is one of Liverpool’s last hopes for a trophy this season.
The title race for the Champions League is between some of the top teams from leagues throughout Europe. It features some of the best soccer played this year.