Italian media outlet Calcio Finanza has released commentary after carefully reviewing the UEFA documents regarding the Champions League first-stage draw. They introduced the details of the Champions League draw and pointed out that the new system will hopefully improve the unpredictability of the competition, increasing the likelihood of top team matchups in the first stage of the tournament.
The report pointed out that this Champions League draw will use a “combination of human and machine.” If a purely manual draw were used, the drawing process could take hours and involve more than a thousand balls, making errors more likely. Using a computer is completely different. The 36 participating teams will be automatically assigned to four different “pools” based on UEFA’s coefficient. When a team is selected, high-tech automated software will determine its eight opponents. This automated selection will continuously calculate, ensuring each team is drawn and a relatively balanced schedule.
Of course, there are still two restrictions on the draw. First, unless special circumstances exist, a club will not play against a team from the same league (for example, a Premier League team will not play against another Premier League team in the group stage). Second, the software will automatically prevent a team from playing against more than two teams from the same league (for example, a team will not play against more than two Premier League teams in the group stage).
After meeting the above two conditions, the draw will be conducted by software. UEFA will collaborate with high-tech company AE Live, and an external agency will be appointed to oversee the process to ensure fairness and efficiency.
Italian media analysis points out that the expansion to 36 teams will bring about three significant changes to the Champions League. Firstly, the total number of matches will increase. The group stage will change from six matches to eight, extending exciting events to more cities and reaching a wider audience. Secondly, top team matchups may increase, potentially improving the excitement and spectacle of the group stage.
Another change is that in the first stage of the tournament, the top eight teams will advance directly to the Round of 16, while teams ranked 9th to 24th will play two-legged playoffs to fight for a chance to enter the Round of 16. This new format will bring unpredictability and suspense to the Champions League compared to previous seasons.
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