Why The New Champions League Format Doesn’t Work

The new Champions League format has sparked debate over soccer fans across the world. The format made it so that each team played 8 group games instead of 6, along with a two-legged playoff round for teams placed 9-24. While fans are getting to enjoy more games with the addition of the format, players aren’t as happy. With more games added to the players’ schedules, there are less days for players to rest. I think it’s obvious that with less rest, there is a greater risk for injury. As a fan myself, I don’t just like watching games, I like watching specific players on different teams play.

In the 2022 Winter World Cup, player injuries greatly increased because of the  tournament that occurred in the middle of the regular club season that occurs between August and June. Because we’ve seen in the past that more games and less rest causes more injuries, why do we continue to add more games? I mean, I liked the old format a lot because there were no issues with it, so why change something that isn’t broken?

If I knew that more games were created for fan enjoyment, then I wouldn’t disagree with the format, but I know the reason why this new format was created: money. With more games added, the already millionaires that run UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) get to make even more money through ticket sales and more screen time on TV. Those who run UEFA don’t care about player health, they care about money, and that’s a major problem with the world today, greed.

Rodri, a Spanish midfielder for Manchester City, was unhappy about not having any time to rest because of the large number of games this season. Rodri, arguably Manchester City’s best player and one of the best players in the world at the moment, suffered a season-ending injury a week after his comments. Several other players became injured this season, including Euro 2024 winner Dani Olmo, who had an amazing start to the season before suffering a hamstring injury. It’s simple, players are sacrificing their health to help the leaders of soccer make money. This is corruption, and more fans must see it, because soon our favorite players across the world will suffer as well.

As much as I love watching soccer, I can’t agree with a system that can hurt player health. I know how it feels as a player to be injured and not be able to play an important game. I’m Angelo Thoyas, and this is my take.