Champions League: UEFA set to change format permanently

Champions League: UEFA set to change format permanently

UEFA has said a 'final eight' will be considered as a way to round off the Champions League and Europa League from 2024.

The single-country, one-leg format was adopted to conclude the competitions last season, due to the COVID-19 outbreak that disrupted the football calendar.

UEFA is contractually bound with broadcasters to revert to the usual two-legged format for quarter-finals and semi-finals for the rest of the current cycle.

But European football governing body has not ruled out a change to a new format beyond that.

"We know there are many elements that need to be taken into account, like calendar and organisational constraints, fans' involvement, economic implications. But we will for sure study this format and its variations for our upcoming discussions.

"Single knock-out matches obviously favour uncertainty and emotions.

"We received great feedback from clubs, broadcasters and other partners as well as from the fans," Giorgio Marchetti, UEFA's deputy general secretary, told the PA news agency:.

The 2019/2020 Champions League's final stages was played in Lisbon, while Cologne, Duisburg, Dusseldorf and Gelsenkirchen hosted the closing games of the Europa League in Germany.

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