Champions League confirm latest huge change 24 hours before first season under new format
Another change has been made to the competition.
Featured Image Credit: UEFA
Topics: Champions League, Football
Tom Jenkins
Topics: Champions League, Football
The Champions League have confirmed another significant change to the way we consume the competition alongside the brand-new format which will get underway on Tuesday.
For the first time since the competition was introduced there is going to be a major change to the structure of the competition with the traditional group stage phase scrapped.
The new format will see an increase from 32 to 36 teams, with those teams playing eight matches each as part of a new singular group stage.
At the end of the group stage, the top eight teams will automatically qualify for the last 16 phase, while the teams placed from ninth to 24th will contest the play-off round.
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Anyone below 24th will exit the competition, and unlike in previous years, there will be no Europa League qualification for the top teams who miss out on the later stages.
However, the new format isn't the only change being made, as the traditional anthem has been changed as well as a brand new broadcaster intro which gives the competition a complete face-lift.
The new intro features Premier League stars such as Erling Haaland and Bukayo Saka, alongside the likes of Harry Kane and Vinicius Jr.
Last season's finalists Borussia Dortmund and Real Madrid all feature heavily in a very dramatic edit which is sure to get fans hyped for each and every match.
However, the changes to the anthem itself have been far less popular.
The now iconic Champions League theme music is Tony Britten's 1992 adaption of the 1727 classical piece "Zadok the Priest" which was written by George Frideric Handel.
The music has become synonymous with the competition and its most significant moments, it's hard to watch Cristiano Ronaldo's bicycle kick against Juventus without the legendary tune playing in your head.
However, despite the saying 'if it's not broke don't fix it', UEFA opted to tweak the anthem for the upcoming season with the theme now sped up.
There is a significantly larger focus on the vocals and a lot less percussion, which really dampens the power of the anthem making it a lot less atmospheric.