Champions League begins with all the betting possibilities that brings
The 2024-25 edition of the UEFA Champions League has begun in earnest. And the new format means that there are even more games to be played in what is surely the world’s premier club football competition. Here we take a look at the new format as well as the new betting options that this has opened up to fans and punters.
The new Champions League format
From the start of the 2024-25 campaign UEFA have announced a new format to the Champions League (as well as the Europa League and Conference League). Whereas the competitions used to boast group stages, that has now been replaced by a league format which will see teams play a total of eight matches (four home and four away) against eight different opponents. Among those opponents will be teams of a similar calibre, meaning that there will be a greater number of attractive head-to-heads. As usual three points will be awarded for a win, a point for a draw and nothing for a defeat. All teams in the league stage (36 teams in total) are ranked together, but are placed in four seeding pots. One of the main concepts of the new format is that there will no longer be dead rubbers towards the end of the group stages, with every match in the new league format counting for something as teams compete for their final places in the 36-team league table.
The top eight teams at the end of the league format will qualify automatically for the round of 16. Teams placing from 9th to 24th enter a two-legged play-off phase to determine who will qualify in the final eight positions. Teams that finish 25th or lower are knocked out, and will not enter the Europa League.
To add further competitiveness to the competition, final league placings will also impact the draw for the knockout phase, meaning that a higher league-place finish should, in theory, result in a more favourable draw. There’s always something to play for, in other words.
Betting opportunities
As always, top betting sites around the globe will be offering up almost countless opportunities to bet on the latest edition of the UEFA Champions League, and the new format offers up even more options, with new markets, odds and lists of favourites now published. Check out the top options and the offers available by visiting sites such as BettingTop10.ca, and scope the tremendous variety of options for betting on the Champions league. Some of the new markets added as a result of the new format include the following:
To win the league
With a new league format, and all 36 teams entering the same league, of course one of the most attractive new offers is to back a certain team to finish top of the pile after the eight league matches. Much like the outright winner, the sports betting sites will back the biggest teams here, but an added variable is the draw that each team has been given, factoring in the relative strength of the teams that each club will face, and whether they will play home or away against that opponent.
To finish in the top eight
Similarly, punters can now back a team to finish in the top eight, therefore securing one of the automatic qualifying positions for the Round of 16. Not finishing in the top eight does not mean elimination, but it does mean the prospect of a two-legged play-off (and therefore two additional matches) against a potentially tricky opponent. Top eight is the desired finishing position for all teams.
To be eliminated in the group stage
The teams finishing in positions from 25 to 36 will automatically be eliminated from the competition. Therefore, punters now have a chance to scan the list of the competing teams and back who they think will fail to finish in those top 24 positions. It’s yet another variation of betting on the Champions League that is now possible thanks to the new format.
League phase top goalscorer
It’s common to back who you think will finish as the top scorer in the Champions League as a whole, but now punters will get the chance to back a player to finish as the league top scorer too. Once again, the relative strength of the team’s opponents will be weighed up to consider who could potentially notch the most strikes on the opening eight matchdays. The usual candidates of Harry Kane, Erling Haaland, Robert Lewandowski, Mo Salah, Kylian Mbappe et al are likely to feature.
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