Europe's top leagues have only just returned to domestic action, but eyes are already being cast toward September and the start of the 2024-25 UEFA Champions League campaign.

The premier club competition for the continent's finest has undergone a transformation, with the format set to be a lot different than in years gone by.

Gone is the group stage that we've been familiar with since 1992, and the field has been expanded to include more contenders to battle it out for the most coveted prize in club football.

But what does this all mean for the now 36 teams that will be competing? And, crucially, what do fans need to know as they try to wrap their heads around the new concept?

Let's take a look at the quirks and key points on the path to the Champions League final.

How Were the Four New Spots Allocated?

Increasing the places available in the Champions League by four brought a conundrum for UEFA: How to determine who can join the typical clutch of 32 elite clubs?

Of course, this wouldn't be a UEFA competition if the process wasn't made as convoluted as possible, so let's break it down.

Spot 1

One of the four new spots was grabbed by the team that finished in third place in the league that landed fifth in UEFA's country coefficient—as long as that league didn't already have four guaranteed qualification spots.

After the Premier League, Serie A, La Liga and the Bundesliga, Ligue 1 grabbed that fifth spot, allowing Stade Brestois 29 to join the top table.

Spot 2

The second new spot will go to one of the teams that make it through the Champions Path of the qualifying stage.

UEFA has added an extra Champions League qualifying spot to teams in the Champions Path, giving five places as opposed to the typical four. These teams entered the qualification process after winning a domestic league that wasn't ranked highly enough to earn automatic entry to the Champions League.

Elsewhere, two teams from the League Path, which earned their spot in qualification through relevant achievements in their domestic football association, will enter the competition proper.

The final matches of these qualifiers will be played between August 27 and 28, and after the second legs are completed, the teams from both the Champions Path and the League Path will discover if they've punched their ticket to the main competition.

Spots 3 and 4

Two countries that produced the best collective performance in all European competitions in the 2023-24 season were given one additional automatic spot each for the Champions League.

Italy's Serie A and Germany's Bundesliga did enough to claim those extra berths, allowing Bologna and Borussia Dortmund (last year's beaten finalists), respectively, to join in the fun after both finished fifth in their leagues.

The League Phase

Now comes the time to explain the biggest departure from the decadeslong format: The replacement of the group stage with the new league phase.

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin said the switch to the new system came after "a unanimous decision of the UEFA Executive Committee, with the European Club Association, European Leagues and national associations."

Instead of eight groups of four teams, all 36 teams will now enter a single league, with points and goals difference stacked up against one another to determine placement.

While teams once had to play six games in total against three set opponents in their pool, they will now have to play eight different teams (four games at home, four games away) against clubs ranked in four different seeding pots by coeffecient points. Two clubs from each pot will be selected as an opponent.

"This gives the opportunity for clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents and raises the prospect for fans of seeing the top teams go head-to-head more often and earlier in the competition," UEFA said of the change. "It will also result in more competitive matches for every club across the board."

Qualification to the Knockouts

Teams finishing in positions one through eight when all league phase games are played will gain automatic qualification to the knockout phases.

For the teams ranked ninth through to 24th, they will enter a play-off round, effectively adding a new stage to the typical Champions League competition.

These teams will battle it out over two legs to earn qualification to the last 16, where each will meet one of the well-rested sides that finished eighth or higher.

The teams finishing 25th or lower will be eliminated—entering the Europa League is no longer a consolation prize for any team.

From there, it's pretty much business as usual, with two-legged knockout games until the single-game final, which is slated to be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on May 31.

What to Expect

For Champions League fans, this might take some getting used to.

While many will be thrilled with the extra games played between Europe's finest, there is a danger of fatigue setting in for both players and spectators.

Clubs already stretched to their limit with existing responsibilities across a number of competitions will not be happy with extended minutes in weary legs, but it might give us the chance to see a number of younger players getting more opportunities on the big stage.

However, whether performances of the highest quality can be maintained throughout the competition is another matter. Perhaps the slightly higher margin of error for qualifying in the top spots (and even for knockout rounds at all) will result in star players being rested more often.

There's a chance that could increase parity, but if you watch the Champions League for thrilling performances between Europe's heavyweights, that might make way for scrappy contests featuring unfamiliar starting XIs. If you typically root for the underdog, that's a good thing, but the impact on the quality of games and the occasional absence of bonafide stars might be an unwelcome trade.

A big miss is the typical group of death. While the potential for tougher games between a wider variety of clubs is an interesting prospect (even two games against teams in the same pool is an intriguing wrinkle), not having home and away games against the same evenly matched opponents might reduce the typical drama, as well as the jeopardy associated with qualification.

But, we have no choice but to give this new Champions League format a fair shake. Who knows, it could turn out to be the best thing since the competition last changed at the start of the 1990s.