Han Qiaosheng: Very Happy with the Expanded UEFA Champions League Group Stage, Which Now Has a Free-for-all Atmosphere Post-reform

The new season of the UEFA Champions League has been reformed and expanded to 36 teams. Teams are divided into four tiers based on their European competition coefficients, with nine teams in each tier. Two teams, one home and one away, are drawn from each tier. Regarding the new format, renowned commentator Han Qiaosheng expressed via social media that teams from the same country will be avoided, and at most, two teams from the same association can be drawn. To me, it’s really quite complicated!

Han Qiaosheng wrote, “But as a fan, I’m particularly happy. The group stage originally had only 48 matches, but now there are 144 matches, which is 96 more games!”

Talking about the matchups, Han Qiaosheng wrote, “Barcelona meets Bayern Munich again, Real Madrid faces Liverpool, Inter Milan battles Manchester City and Arsenal continuously. These matches certainly won’t disappoint fans’ expectations; plus the new faces entering for the first time due to the format reform, giving it a free-for-all atmosphere!”

In Han Qiaosheng’s view, “The reformed UEFA Champions League presents a more severe challenge to traditional powerhouses. Already facing multi-front battles, they now have to play several more matches in their schedules. This undoubtedly places higher demands on the depth of the squad and the fitness of the players.”

Finally, Han Qiaosheng concluded, “As a result, this year’s match results are truly unpredictable! Perhaps by the halfway point of the group stage, we’ll be able to see who has the strength to win the first championship trophy after the format reform.”