Bigger but not better: Why UEFA have killed the early stages of the Champions League

Twelve of the continent's biggest clubs announced a plan to break away from the Champions League and form a European Super League, a closed-shop competition designed to guarantee them regular games against each other. The dirty dozen would not have to qualify and could never be relegated, an affront to the traditions of European football and the principles of sporting fairness.

The backlash was swift and fierce, andwithin days the project was dead in the water. The Champions League survived, but only after a fundamental overhaul that gave the drivers of the Super League project much of what they wanted.

Plans to switch from the old 32-team group stage to a 36-team, Swiss-style league phase had already been cooked up before the Super League news broke, yet the reforms reflected a desire to keep the elite clubs happy. We are now in the third season of this format, enough time to conclude that UEFA's flagship tournament has been made worse by its introduction.

After 30 years, it had grown stale and predictable. Dead rubbers were common, as dominant teams regularly wrapped up qualification early.

Surprise early exits became increasingly rare. The tournament only came to life in the knockout rounds.

Yet the league phase has solved hardly any of those issues while creating new ones of its own. No fewer than 144 matches are required to eliminate just 12 teams, most of whom were expected to bow out early anyway.

UEFA president Alexsander Cerferin has to keep the big clubs happy The league phase forgives more than a priest in Las Vegas. It is possible to lose five out of eight games, as Benfica did last term, and still reach the knockouts.

In 2024/25, PSG won only one of their first five outings yet ended up finishing 15th, before going on to lift the trophy. The margin for error is considerable.

The league phase creates an illusion of direct comparison. In most domestic leagues, you play every team twice.