Following consultations with stakeholders in the game, the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) executive committee on Tuesday confirmed a new format for the Champions League from the start of the 2024-25 season.
The reformatted group stage would still grow from 32 to 36 teams starting in 2024 but the number of rounds will only jump from six to eight per team rather than 10.
The Europa League will also follow the format of the new Champions League with eight matches in the league stage. There had previously been a plan that each team would play 10 games at that point of the competition as part of the new "Swiss model".
"The eight matches of the UEFA Champions League will be played over the ten European weeks foreseen by the decision made in April 2021. The UEFA Champions League, UEFA Europa League, and UEFA Europa Conference League will all enjoy one week of calendar exclusivity," UEFA said in a statement.
"The four additional places created by the increase from 32 to 36 teams in the league phase of the UEFA Champions League will be allocated," it added.
Commenting on the decisions, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin said, "UEFA has clearly shown today that we are fully committed to respecting the fundamental values of sport and to defending the key principle of open competitions, with qualification based on sporting merit, fully in line with the values and solidarity-based European sports model.
"Today's decisions conclude an extensive consultation process during which we listened to the ideas of fans, players, coaches, national associations, clubs, and leagues to name but a few, with the aim to find the best solution for the development and success of European football, both domestically and on the international club stage," he added.
