Champions League Excitement Returns: Special First-Round Setup Sees One Fewer Team From Top Five Leagues and Four Debutants

This week, the highly anticipated UEFA Champions League enters its exciting league phase. Many elite clubs will take the field, while this round features a special arrangement: four teams will participate in the competition for the first time, and the number of teams from the top five leagues has decreased by one compared with last season. This season is the 72nd edition of the Champions League, the 35th since the competition was renamed the “UEFA Champions League,” and the third season using the new 36-team format.

With the opening of the first round of the league phase this week, teams will compete across eight rounds. The top eight teams will advance directly to the last 16, while teams finishing between ninth and 24th will compete in playoffs for the remaining eight places, with the playoffs decided over two legs.

Under the new rules, 29 of the 36 teams participating in the main competition qualify directly. The top ten leagues in the European rankings receive 25 guaranteed places, with the Premier League, La Liga, Serie A and Bundesliga each holding four spots, Ligue 1 receiving three, and the Eredivisie receiving two. In addition, Portugal, Belgium, the Czech Republic and Turkey each receive one place. Liverpool and Real Betis secured two additional spots, while Sporting CP and Shakhtar Donetsk did not need to go through qualifying because of their Champions League and Europa League title-related places.

Among the final seven places generated through qualifying, Viking, LASK Linz and AEK Athens advanced after only one qualifying round. Azerbaijan side Sabah Baku, however, went through multiple difficult qualifying rounds and secured their place after eight matches.

The Champions League participants this season come from 16 different leagues, with 21 teams from the top five leagues. The Premier League and La Liga each have five teams, Serie A and the Bundesliga each have four, and Ligue 1 has three, one fewer participant than last season. The decrease is mainly because Aston Villa secured the previous Premier League fourth-place qualification position, leaving the Premier League with only five teams. Meanwhile, Lyon's failure to overcome Fenerbahce in qualifying meant Ligue 1 could again send only three teams.

The Norwegian league has attracted attention. League champions Viking not only eliminated Dinamo Zagreb, but runners-up Bodo/Glimt also impressed by defeating Union Saint-Gilloise and NEC Nijmegen in succession to both reach the main competition. Whether they can recreate the stunning performances seen at the World Cup remains something to watch.

This season, Italian side Como, Norway's Viking, Azerbaijan's Sabah Baku and Austria's LASK Linz are making their first appearances in the Champions League main competition, matching last season's number of debutants. The Norwegian league has produced new teams for two consecutive seasons, while Azerbaijan has also broken through. This is a major encouragement for smaller European clubs and aligns with UEFA's goal of promoting the competition.

As in previous seasons, the opening round of this year's Champions League league phase has its own dedicated match week, with no interference from the other two cup competitions. The scheduling separates the Champions League from next week's Europa League opening round and the final round of the Conference League to accommodate the characteristics of each tournament.

To provide a better viewing experience, this week's Champions League matches will not follow the usual compact schedule but will instead be divided across three match days, with six games played each day. Kickoff times are scheduled for 12:45 a.m. and 3 a.m. Beijing time. Although some early matches feature relatively less prominent lineups, they still include major fixtures such as Barcelona against Feyenoord and Roma against Fenerbahce, while other high-profile clashes are scheduled for later.

The first round has already produced several major clashes. On the first day, Real Madrid face Inter Milan and Borussia Dortmund challenge Villarreal. The second day features Liverpool meeting Atletico Madrid and Napoli facing Arsenal. The third day appears slightly less intense, but Manchester United's return to the Champions League against debutants Sabah Baku and Bayern Munich's match against dark horses Bodo/Glimt are also highly anticipated.

Following the tradition established after the format change, the Champions League league phase will undoubtedly feature many high-level encounters. Which surprises do you think will happen in the opening round?