UEFA Champions League Tournament and Qualification Explained
By Kade Kistner
The UEFA Champions League is the most prestigious tournament in the football realm. Since 1955, the winner of the Champions League has been able to distinguish themselves as the “best football club” in the world. While most fans are familiar with the Knockout Rounds, and more specifically the Final Round, not many understand the nuances behind the qualification process. Over here at The Celtic Bhoys, we are going to try and break it down for you, the fan, and how it relates to the Hoops.
Qualification Process:
The numbers of clubs that participate in the Champions League tournament are decided by the UEFA coefficients. These coefficients are calculated based on performance within qualifying games and tournaments. In essence, the higher an association’s coefficient is, the more teams from that association will get to compete in the Champions League tournament.
After the clubs have been chosen, two streams of competition will begin. One stream will be the Champions Path, or those who have won their domestic championship i.e. Celtic FC. The other stream allows for teams that placed second through fourth in their domestic league called the League Path. Each stream has four qualifying rounds that begin with preliminaries and ends with the playoff round. At the beginning of each round, more champion clubs with higher coefficients will be added to the Champions Path in order to allow them a higher chance of making the Group Stage.
The playoff round, upon completion, will leave four Champion Path clubs, and two clubs from the League Path to enter the Group Stage. However, just because a club has been eliminated from the Champions League does not preclude them from competing in the Europa League for that season.
Group Stage:
The group stage is where the fun really begins for most fans of clubs. The six qualifying clubs from the qualification process join the 26 clubs that earned an automatic berth into the Group Stage. These clubs were either first through fourth finishers in the top UEFA member nations, or previous Champions League champions.
To begin the Group Stage, a draw must occur, that will place four teams into eight groups. No club may play another club from its own domestic league, which can make the drawing process a little tricky.
Upon completion of the draw, each of the four teams will play one another twice, both home and away. This “round-robin” style allows for fair competition and opportunity between all clubs. Three points are awarded for a win, and one point is awarded for a draw. The top two teams from each group will advance to the “Knockout Stage” of 16 teams.
Knockout Rounds:
The knockout rounds will pit two teams against each other for two matches, one home and away match. Away goals are used as a tiebreaker if one club does not win both matches. The knockout round’s rules are in effect for the Round of 16, quarterfinals and the semi-finals. The final two teams will advance to the Final Round.
Final Round:
The 2020 UEFA Champions League Final will played at Ataturk Olympic Stadium in Turkey. The final two teams will play one match to decide who will be the 2020 UEFA Champions League champion.
Celtic FC in the Champions League:
Currently, Celtic FC is in the second round of qualifying. If the Hoops can pull out a win against Nomme Kaliju, they are slated to face wither Maccabi Tel-Aviv or CFR Cluj in the third qualifying round. In the recent past, Celtic FC has had success in the Champions League by making the Group Stage as recently as 2017/18 season, and playing into the Third Qualifying round last season.