Champions League 2025/26 kicks off: all the rules and there's something new
Waiting over. The 2025/26 Champions League kicks off. We are in the second year of the new format, although a new feature has been introduced to further reward those who do better at the end of the regular season.
A review of the rules. Thirty-six teams participate in the regular season (Napoli, Inter, Atalanta and Juventus for Italy’Italy). Each club will face, between now and next Jan. 28, eight opponents (already made the draw, today scheduled Juventus-Borussia Dortmund).
At the end of the single-round phase, the top eight qualify directly for the round of 16, while the teams that finish the regular season between ninth and 24th place will be asked to play in the playoffs in February (with access to the round of 16 up for grabs). From there on, it goes with classic knockout competitions.
It should be remembered that, in the event of a tie on points, the first criterion observed concerns goal difference. However, there’s an important change regarding the 2025/26 edition. It has been decided to give more importance to those who shine the most during the first phase, i.e., the regular season. How? By guaranteeing the “field factor” for the duration of the tournament. To be clear: the right to play the return game at home, during the knockout phase, will be awarded to the best-ranked team at the end of the regular season. No draw, just look at the final placement at the end of the first phase.
