Thanks to the new format

Salzburg rejoices: Champions League as a goldmine

Red Bull Salzburg can look forward to a real windfall.

(Bild: GEPA/„Krone“)

Red Bull Salzburg eliminated Dynamo Kiev in the Champions League play-off on Tuesday. This is the first time that two Austrian teams have reached the main round of the biggest club competition. Now there's a windfall.

Curtain up for the new Champions League! This season will see a revolution in the world's most important club competition (as well as in the Europa League). For the first time since its introduction, 36 teams are taking part. The biggest change concerns the format. The group stage is now history!

(Bild: AFP or licensors)

Eight opponents
Instead of eight groups of four, there is now just one large table with all 36 participants. In future, there will no longer be three opponents, but eight. Instead of two matches against each opponent, there will only be one. This means that the premier class starters will have four home and four away games in the league phase. The last two matches will take place in January, meaning that the traditional winter break will no longer apply to the red-white-red representatives (Sturm and Salzburg).

The top eight teams from the league phase advance directly to the round of 16, while the clubs ranked ninth to 24th have to play in a play-off. The rest are out - for good! There is no longer a transfer to the Europa League.

Bonuses increase
The 64 additional matches also increase UEFA's income. This, in turn, increases the bonuses. The entry fee is 18.62 million, a win brings 2.1 million, a draw 700,000 euros. The Champions League is therefore more of a goldmine than ever!