The still fairly new UEFA Champions League group stage format, introduced in 2024, has had a very mixed reception. The group stages, initially groups of four teams that play each team twice, has been retooled to create a massive 36 team group that sees the fixture list randomly generated. This is the first major change to the competition since the second group phase was removed and replaced with the Round of 16 knockout round in 2003. Some fans accepted it immediately, others warmed up to it and others still have
some real issues with it.
Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, however, firmly belongs in the former group. The Bayern Munich supervisory board member, who also served on the UEFA Executive Committee between 2021 and 2024, has spoken positively about the format change many times in the past and did so again in an interview with Spanish news site Diario AS:
“I remember applauding it when it was presented in 2021. The idea came from a German chess player, by the way – sadly a Dortmund fan (laughs),” Rummenigge admitted, as captured by @iMiaSanMia. “The knockout rounds were always great, but the group stage had become heavy. Now it’s very entertaining. UEFA deserves credit.”
What do you think? Was the format change a good or bad thing?
BFW Analysis
On a subjective note, Rummenigge was absolutely correct in stating that the Champions League group stages were not nearly interesting enough as a whole. Whether the new format was the right solution is very much up to debate but the old format was not that good.
