Champions League Format
Until 2014/2015
Qualifying phase
Qualifying-phase matches are played according to the cup (knockout) system, with each club playing each opponent twice, in home and away matches. The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the next stage (second qualifying round, third qualifying round, fourth qualifying round or UEFA Champions League group stage, as applicable).The clubs defeated in the first and second qualifying rounds are eliminated from the competition. The clubs defeated in the third qualifying round are entitled to play in the fourth qualifying round of the UEFA Europa League in progress. The clubs defeated in the fourth qualifying round are entitled to play in the group stage of the UEFA Europa League in progress. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
Group stage
Once the play-offs have been completed, the 32 remaining clubs are drawn into eight groups of four. Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn into the same group. Each club plays one home and one away match against each other club in its group. Three points are awarded for a win, one point for a draw, and none for a defeat. If two or more teams are equal on points on completion of the group matches, the following criteria are applied to determine the rankings (in descending order):
a) higher number of points obtained in the group matches played among the teams in question;
b) superior goal difference from the group matches played among the teams in question;
c) higher number of goals scored in the group matches played among the teams in question;
d) higher number of goals scored away from home in the group matches played among the teams in question;
e) if, after having applied criteria a) to d), two teams still have an equal ranking, criteria a) to d) are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the two teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria f) to h) apply;
f) superior goal difference from all group matches played;
g) higher number of goals scored from all group matches played;
h) higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.
The eight group-winners and eight runners-up of the group stage qualify for the round of 16. The clubs that finish this stage in third position in their group move into the round of 32 of the current UEFA Europa League. The clubs that finish this stage in fourth position in their group are eliminated. The four best third-ranked teams are seeded for the UEFA Europa League round of 32. This ranking is determined in accordance with the following criteria (in descending order):
a) higher number of points obtained in the group matches
b) superior goal difference
c) higher number of goals scored
d) higher number of away goals scored
e) higher number of wins
f) higher number of away wins
g) higher number of coefficient points accumulated by the club in question, as well as its association, over the previous five seasons.
Round of 16
The round of 16 pairings are determined by means of a draw. The round of 16 is played under the knockout system, on a home-and-away basis (two legs). The UEFA administration ensures that the following principles are respected.
a) Clubs from the same association cannot be drawn against each other.
b) The winners and runners-up of the same group cannot be drawn against each other.
c) The group-winners cannot be drawn against each other.
d) The runners-up cannot be drawn against each other.
e) The runners-up must play the first leg at home.
The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the quarter-finals.
Quarter-finals
The eight winners of the round of 16 contest the quarter-finals. The quarter-final pairings are determined by means of a draw. The quarter-finals are played under the knockout system, on a home-and-away basis (two legs). The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the semi-finals.
Semi-finals
The four winners of the quarter-finals contest the semi-finals. The semi-final pairings are determined by means of a draw. The semi-finals are played under the knockout system, on a home-and-away basis (two legs). The team which scores the greater aggregate of goals in the two matches qualifies for the final.
Final
The final is played as one single match at a neutral venue. If the result stands as a draw at the end of normal playing time, extra time of two periods of 15 minutes is played. If one of the teams scores more goals than the other during extra time, that team is declared the winner. If the two teams are still equal after extra time, the winner is determined by kicks from the penalty mark.
Away goals and extra time under the knockout system
For matches played under the knockout system, if the two teams involved in a tie score the same number of goals over the two legs, the team which scores more away goals qualifies for the next stage. If this procedure does not produce a result, i.e. if both teams score the same number of goals at home and away, two 15-minute periods of extra time are played at the end of the second leg. If, during extra time, both teams score the same number of goals, away goals count double (i.e. the visiting club qualifies). If no goals are scored during extra time, kicks from the penalty mark determine which club qualifies for the next stage.
Seeding of clubs
The UEFA administration seeds clubs for the qualifying phase and the group stage in the UEFA Champions League, in accordance with the club coefficient rankings established at the beginning of the season and with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee. If, for any unforeseen reason, any of the participants in such rounds are not known at the time of the draw, the coefficient of the club with the higher coefficient of the two clubs involved in an undecided tie will be used for the purposes of the draw.
For seeding purposes, rankings are drawn up on the basis of a combination of 20% of the value of the respective association’s coefficient for the last five seasons and the clubs’ individual performances in the UEFA club competitions during the same period. Each club retains the cumulative number of points obtained during this period.
For the qualifying phase, a draw between the same number of seeded and unseeded clubs determines the pairings, in accordance with the club coefficient ranking established at the beginning of the season. The UEFA administration may form groups, in accordance with the principles set by the Club Competitions Committee.
For the purpose of the draw, the 32 clubs involved in the group stage are seeded into four groups of eight, in accordance with the club coefficient ranking established at the beginning of the season (since season 2015/2016, first pot is based on country ranking - champions from top 7 countries will be in pot 1. Rest pots are based on club ranking like always). The titleholder is always the top seed.
For the round of 16, the group-winners are seeded above the runners-up.
Ties
The ties are determined by means of a draw. The club drawn first plays the first leg of the tie at home. The UEFA administration may decide that a tie be played in one leg, if circumstances so require, and will set the principles for determining the winner accordingly.
Titleholder
The UEFA Champions League titleholder is guaranteed a place in the group stage even if it does not qualify for the competition through its domestic championship.
If the titleholder comes from an association entitled to four places in the UEFA Champions League and qualifies for the UEFA Europa League through its domestic competitions, the lowest-ranked club of the association’s UEFA Champions League representatives is automatically transferred to the UEFA Europa League (into the latest possible round where there is a vacancy). In this case, the number of places to which the titleholder's association is entitled in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League does not change.
If the titleholder comes from an association entitled to four places in the UEFA Champions League and does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League through its domestic competitions, the lowest-ranked club of the association’s UEFA Champions League representatives is automatically transferred to the UEFA Europa League (into the latest possible round where there is a vacancy). In this case, the association of the titleholder is entitled to one additional place in the UEFA Europa League.
If the titleholder comes from an association entitled to fewer than four places in the UEFA Champions League and qualifies for the UEFA Europa League through its domestic competitions, it is entitled to play in the UEFA Champions League in addition to the association’s other UEFA Champions League representative(s). In this case, the combined number of places to which the titleholder's association is entitled in the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League does not change.
If the titleholder comes from an association entitled to fewer than four places in the UEFA Champions League and does not qualify for the UEFA Champions League or UEFA Europa League through its domestic competitions, it is entitled to play in the UEFA Champions League in addition to the association’s other UEFA Champions League representative(s). In this case, the association of the titleholder is entitled to one additional place in the UEFA Champions League.
