How does the Champions League table work?
How does the Champions League table work?
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THE electric win-or-go-home final matchday scenario that the new Champions League table promised is set to take place TONIGHT!. All final 18 league phase matches will kick off simultaneously, with permutations littered from top to bottom. The new league phase - that replaced the traditional group stage format - has added a new sense of intrigue that wasn't usually present in the final matchday stage.
![[UEFA Champions League trophy.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/uefa-champions-league-trophy-pictured-964548683.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
It's been four months since Matchday 1 of eight, so let's offer a refresher on how the revamped first stage of Europe's elite competition works. Under the new system, the top eight automatically go through to the last 16 and are seeded with home advantage for the second leg, although there will be separate draws for home advantage for the following rounds.
![[Liverpool, who will clinch top spot in the table, will bank £8.3m]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/2025-liverpools-harvey-elliott-celebrates-965620540.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
Those finishing in ninth to 24th will play off next month to join the top eight in the last 16 in March. The teams in ninth and 10th will be drawn against the sides in 23rd and 24th, with the sides finishing 11th and 12th, meeting teams ranked 21st and 22nd and so on.
![[Pep Guardiola reacting during a soccer match.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/manchester-citys-head-coach-pep-965856468.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The same applies to the two other European competitions - the Europa League, where Manchester United and Tottenham are battling for a top-eight finish - and the Conference League, with Chelsea already confirmed as top seed. With one game to go, there are already two sides who have confirmed their place in the last 16.
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