The Champions League draw took place on Thursday evening in Monaco, drawing the attention of European football’s governing bodies as they confront a deepening internal rift.
A contested leadership landscape
Gianni Infantino, the embattled FIFA president, was absent from the ceremony, a snub that underscores the no‑confidence vote among UEFA’s 55 member federations. Speculation about his possible successor has turned toward Nasser al‑Khelaïfi, the chief of Paris Saint‑Germain, though he has not publicly expressed interest.
Aleksander Ceferin, who has steered UEFA for more than a decade, remains at the helm, but the growing tension raises questions about the federation’s direction and its relationship with world football’s governing body.
Draw mechanics and new entrants
The draw paired each of the 36 participants with eight opponents drawn from four seeding pots based on five‑year European performance. The software guarantees a balanced schedule of four home and four away fixtures, while protecting clubs from facing teams from the same national league. Four debutant clubs — Como of Italy, LASK from Austria, Viking from Norway, and Azerbaijan’s Sabah — entered the competition, adding fresh narratives to the tournament.
Prize money for the revamped format totals roughly €2.5 billion, with the top eight teams advancing directly to the round of 16 in March. The remaining clubs from ninth to twenty‑fourth place will contest knockout playoffs in February, while those ranked twenty‑five to thirty‑six are eliminated after the group stage.
Broader implications for European football
During the same session, UEFA’s member federations discussed the prospect of withdrawing from FIFA competitions, a move that could reshape the international calendar. The debate reflects a broader governance crisis that pits UEFA’s commercial ambitions against FIFA’s traditional authority.
The outcome of these discussions will influence not only the financial distribution among clubs but also the competitive balance across national leagues, setting the stage for a season that could redefine the sport’s power structures.