Tottenham face a fresh challenge in the new Champions League format, should Ange Postecoglou land a return to the competition.
Tottenham are aiming to land a place in the Champions League for next season, with the race for top four wide open. Spurs are battling Aston Villa and Manchester United for fourth, while there’s the possibility of a fifth space for the competition opening up.
The Champions League opens up plenty of opportunities, most notably the financial gain for earning qualification. However, should Ange Postecoglou secure a place in the competition, it won’t be the same as previous years.
The 2024/25 season introduces a new format for the competition, which will shake up how games are played. That could have a huge impact on Tottenham, so with that said, here’s a look at the Champions League changes.
Champions League changes 2024/25
The current Champions League format includes 32 clubs split into eight groups of four teams. That changes in the 2024/25 season as 36 teams will now compete in a system that now includes a league table format rather than group stages.
Clubs will play eight games in this stage, rather than the usual six in the groups, with half of those at home and half of those away. The draw for these games will be determined through seeded pots at the start.
The top eight teams in the league will earn a place in the round of 16, with those finishing between ninth and 24th drawn to face off in a two-legged knockout tie. Any club 25th or below will be eliminated from the competition.
At that point, the competition moves to the group stage, which is similar to the current setup beyond the group stages.
Champions League fifth place
With an extra four teams in the Champions League as of next season, there is the chance to land an extra space in the major divisions. The likes of England, Spain, Germany and Italy are battling to land one of two places through their coefficient rankings.
It means that the Premier League may earn five places for Champions League qualification, which will boost Tottenham’s chances. That will be down to how other English teams perform in Europe this season though, with Arsenal, Liverpool, Brighton, Aston Villa and West Ham all still competing.
Champions League prize money
The prize money for the coming Champions League campaign is currently unknown, however there have been some bold predictions. The Times claims that the TV rights could rake in as much as £4.2billion, with clubs set for a larger income from being in the competition and playing more games.
Tottenham Champions League conundrum
The new Champions League format will bring about plenty of questions surrounding how Tottenham could compete. Previous manager Antonio Conte found such a problem when he attempted to bolster the squad in terms of options available.
“We know that last season we reached fourth place and in my opinion it was a big, big achievement, especially as we finished the season with only 13 players,” the Italian boss said at the start of the 2022/23 campaign. “The first target was to try to improve the squad in quality and numerically.”
It didn’t quite work out for Spurs and it required a major overhaul that new boss Postecoglou is still overseeing. Injury issues have already plagued the Australian coach, with the team largely competing just in the Premier League.
Should a Champions League return be on the cards, it will require another clever mission in the transfer market. With extra games lumped into the contest, it will be a tough ask, but one that could put the foundations in place for the long-term.
Only time will tell how well Tottenham can work under those circumstances, should they quality for the competition, but they will be keen to avoid a repeat of Conte’s final season.
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