Everything you need to know about the Champions League

This summer, people across the world watched players like Kylian Mbappe, Erling Haaland and Jude Bellingham perform at their best during the World Cup. Now, thanks to the UEFA Champions League, soccer fans have an opportunity to watch these stars represent their club teams, rather than their countries, in an effort to secure Europe's most prestigious trophy.

The Champions League features the top teams from each national league in Europe, including the English Premier League, Spanish LaLiga and many more. Some of this year's top contenders include Bayern Munich, Arsenal, Liverpool and Real Madrid.

Junior Arely Aleman expects Madrid to win the final thanks to their star midfielder Jude Bellingham. "He was scoring a lot in the World Cup, especially in that game against Mexico," she said.

"I think people should watch out for him. " Junior Matthew Hanchard also expects Madrid to reach the finals, as his hopes for his own favorite club, Manchester United, are low.

"I'm hoping for the quarterfinals, but maybe the round of 16 will be our stopping point. " Madrid's archrivals, Barcelona, also have a strong side featuring world-class talent such as Lamine Yamal, Raphinha and Pedri.

"I'm hoping El Clásico for the final," senior Tom Nguyen said, referring to the iconic match between the two Spanish giants. Over the summer, Barcelona signed World Cup golden ball winner Rodri from Manchester City, who also look like strong contenders with striker Erling Haaland even with a coaching change.

Despite his prediction for the final, Nguyen's favorite team is Manchester City, and he has high expectations for them. "Haaland looks dangerous… with the new buzz cut," he said.

The Champions League draw, which took place on Aug. 27, determined each team's match schedule for the first round of the tournament, the league phase.

All 36 teams were divided into four pots based on skill level. The clubs were then each given a schedule of eight games to play, including two teams from each of the four pots.

Many fans have criticized the league phase, which was added to the tournament only two years ago, claiming that it was an unnecessary addition that overcomplicates the tournament and leads to an overbooked schedule for teams. "I feel like the new format is a bit of a money grab by UEFA," Hanchard said.

The league phase began on Sept. Teams have a two to three week break between each game since they have to continue playing regular season games within their own leagues.

Once the league phase ends, the top eight teams with the best records will automatically advance to the round of 16, while the bottom twelve are eliminated. The eliminated sides will likely be from smaller leagues, including the likes of Slovan Bratislava, Sabah FK and Slavia Praha.

The remaining teams in places 9-24 will participate in a final round of matches, where the top half qualifies for the knockout phase. In the two years since the league phase was introduced, Paris Saint-Germain have won the tournament both times, despite not finishing in the top eight.

One must-watch match is Arsenal vs 15-time Champions League winners Real Madrid on Dec. Despite Los Blancos' impressive history in the tournament, they have never managed to beat the London-based side.

Once the round of 16 begins, the tournament becomes much less confusing. For the most part, the knockout rounds of the Champions League are identical to the World Cup, with the only difference being that teams play two matches against each other instead of one.

These matches are called legs, and each team's score is added up from both legs to determine the winner. The final will be played in Madrid's Estadio Metropolitano on June 5.

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About the Contributor Junior Matty Tantillo is exhilarated to start his first year with the Pitch as a Staff Writer. Along with being the junior class secretary, Matty is a part of the Model UN team.

He enjoys playing sports with friends and reading.