A new era will begin in the Champions League

Sports: The new Champions League format debuted on Tuesday after more than six years of planning, a failed proposal and a failed Super League launch. In the end, the famous clubs that insisted on leaving UEFA and revolutionized European football got everything they wanted: more teams, more games and, among other things, more money, against stronger opponents. Instead of 32 teams, there are now 36 teams, each playing eight games instead of six against eight different opponents instead of three.

Kylian Mbappe begins his quest for a first title with his third club, record 15-time European champion Real Madrid, which hosts Stuttgart. Mbappe reached the semifinals with Monaco in 2017 and lost to finalists Paris Saint-Germain in 2020. Ultimately, all 36 teams will be ranked from top to bottom in a single league ranking ending in January instead of the traditional four-team groups ending in December. UEFA has approved a mid-week schedule that will allow the main club programme to resume on Thursday, with six games played over two consecutive nights.