Alisson Becker, the goalkeeper for Premier League club Liverpool and the Brazilian national team, has expressed his views on the new UEFA Champions League format, which is set to take effect from the 2024/2025 season.
Alisson told BBC:
For the supporters, it is amazing. More games, bigger games. No one asks the players what they think about adding more games, so maybe our opinion does not matter. But everybody knows what we think about having more games. Everybody is tired of that.
The draw for the initial stage of the Champions League took place on August 29. This season, the traditional group tournament that combined 32 clubs has been replaced with a new initial stage involving 36 teams. Each team will play eight matches against eight different opponents.
The initial stage will conclude on January 29, with all matches in the final round starting simultaneously at 20:00 GMT+3.
The final of the 2024/2025 UEFA Champions League will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany. The title is currently held by Real Madrid.
Previously, UEFA released the match schedule for the initial stage of the Champions League. Additionally, the organization provided materials explaining the changes to the tournament format that will be implemented from the 2024/2025 season.