What You Can Expect from the New UEFA Format

Mixed reactions have trailed UEFA’s decision to implement a new format called the Swiss Model across all its knockout competitions.

A lot of parallels have been drawn with the proposed Super League championed by some of Europe’s elite clubs, which ultimately failed after strong opposition from media and fans.

Realistically, this model promises many of the same perks that the Super League hoped to bring, without a fracture in the European football pyramid.

That is hardly a surprise considering that it was the same Super League clubs who championed and pushed for the new model and got it approved, before staging their walkout. 

Their concern was reportedly that newer football fans have shorter attention spans and require more games involving the elite clubs to remain tuned in.

As with the Super League idea, they proposed that some slots be reserved for historically great teams, to preserve the prestige of the competition and reduce the number of games involving lower profile teams.

For them, more games involving high profile teams facing themselves will ultimately bring in more revenue and keep the fans excited and engaged.

Whether that will be achieved remains to be seen. Despite their complete conviction that this will happen, there is still a chance that it backfires, as there are no sure odds where football is concerned. Oversaturation could well lead to diminishing returns.

Good and Bad News

The bad news for players is that there are now more games to be played, and the schedule could become overwhelming.

When one adds the coming FIFA Club World Cup – which has a new, expanded format involving 25 more teams – as well as the FIFA World Cup in 2026 which has also been expanded to include 12 more teams for the first time ever, it is easy to see why complaints about burnout have hit a new level.

For bettors, the new model is certainly good news. With 189 games now expected to be played in the main competition, a significant increase from the previous 125, there will be far more opportunities to make money and far more games to make money from.

On every given matchday during the new league phase, there will be 18 games played.

There will also be 8 matchdays rather than the 6 from the previous format, leaving online sports betting lovers to lick their lips at the prospect of even more football.

Breaking Down the New Format

In the new format, there are no longer groups. Recall that teams used to be placed in 8 groups of four, with two teams advancing out of each group. The new format sees all 36 teams (up from 32 in the previous format) placed in one big league table.

For the sake of the draws, teams were placed into pots 1-4, like in the old format.

However, in this new one, these pots were used to determine the fixtures they would play rather than the groups they would be placed in.

Basically, every team must play two teams in each pot, including the pot in which they belong. The most significant thing to note is that every team has a unique set of fixtures and will only play 8 games, with four at home and four away.

The teams scheduled to face each other only meet once. Every team’s list of fixtures were selected by a software set up to ensure that no club can

1) play against a club from the same domestic league as them

2) play more than two clubs from the same country.

The format guarantees that we have multiple clashes between clubs in pot one, with every high profile team facing two other high profile teams.

More importantly, those games would matter because there would be all to play for in every round. 

By the end of the 8th matchday, the top 8 teams on the league table would advance automatically to the round of 16.

Teams that finish between 9th and 24th will qualify for a playoff round to determine the other 8 teams that would play in the round of 16. The teams who finish 9th to 16th will be seeded for the draw while the teams who finish 17th to 24th would be unseeded.

That means that the teams in 9th to 16th cannot face each other in that knockout round, as well as the teams in 17th to 24th.

Once the playoff round is done and eight teams are eliminated, the remaining eight teams will face the other 8 previously qualified teams in the round of 16.

From that point, it becomes straight knockouts as with the previous format. 

In summary, 36 teams are put into one big league. Each team plays eight games, with four at home and four away. All teams have unique fixtures, playing two teams each from the four pots.

There are no home and away fixtures in the league round, you only play a team once, either home or away depending on what is determined at the draws.

Teams who finish 1st to 8th on the league table after the league round is done qualify for the round of 16.

Teams from 9th to 24th faceoff in a playoff round to determine the other 8 teams that will play in the round of 16. Teams that finish 9th to 16th will play against teams that finish from 17th to 24th.

Once the 16 teams are determined, the main knockouts begin, as with the old format. All three UEFA competitions follow this format, but the UEFA Conference League has 6 matchdays in the league phase unlike the others.

The Draws & How You Can Profit from Them

The UCL draw produced a bunch of tasty fixtures, as expected. On the first matchday, the two big fixtures are Milan vs Liverpool and Manchester City vs Inter.

These two clashes throw up bet builder opportunities that no bet guru would pass up. The most enticing one has to be the City vs Inter game where Manchester City have some enticing bet builder market options.

The best thing is that there are many more to explore as Juventus, Bayern, Real Madrid and PSG all have enticing fixtures for those who love home win predictions.

This pattern continues for the remaining 7 matchdays, meaning that you can employ a strategy that is either focused on the big clashes or on the big teams at home or on relatively safe picks across board that add up to significant odds due to the sheer volume of games.

Profitable Opportunities

At the best betting site in Nigeria, you have the option of betting on a variety of outrights for the league phase and the entirety of the Champions League campaign.

Are priced at decent odds to finish in the top 8. Considering how they have started the season, and the managers in charge of these teams, it could be worth taking a cheeky punt.

You can also bet on the league stage winner, with Man City and Real Madrid the obvious favourites.

You can also bet on the tournament top scorer, with two-time golden boot winner, Erling Haaland, the favoured to win it a third time. Kylian Mbappe and Harry Kane are also contenders for that award.

Manchester City are once again favoured to lift the title at the end of May 2025, while the number of dominant English sides increases the possibility of an English team winning the title.

Europa League

Over to the UEFA Europa League, Roma vs Athletic Club is the standout fixture from matchday 1. Those cooking up expert betting tips will be looking at the fixtures with glee, because of the value that the combo option will throw up.

Going with Chance Mix is easily the smartest betting strategy here. Manchester United to win at home against Twente and Under 3.5 has been priced @ 2.30 odds.

Tottenham facing Qarabag at home could see lots of goals scored here as well as a routine home win.

Going for Home and Over 3.5 in this fixture will give 2.02 odds, a great option to double your money. These two give you a smooth 4.64 odds you can play with a big enough stake.

Both clubs are favourites to win the league phase as well. Even a simple Over 1.5 bet across all the games could be a smart play. 

Galatasaray, who recently signed Nigerian star Victor Osimhen, are among the contenders along with Glasgow Rangers who were finalists two years ago.

Europa Conference League

Chelsea is easily the highest profile team in the UEFA Conference League; despite leaving Cole Palmer out of their final ECL squad list, they are still the team to beat and have been priced accordingly.

For this competition, the goals market might produce the best value for bettors due to the gulf in quality between teams like Chelsea and FC Dinamo Minsk.

In our UEFA Club Competition Specials, there are 26.0 odds worth exploring on an English sweep of all three competitions.

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