Champions League Starts: Traditional Clubs in the Crucible – September 16, 2025
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By alex-carter, World Today News
Rummenigge Sees “Clear Improvement” in Champions League Format
Former Bayern Munich chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge has lauded the new league format of the Champions league, describing it as a “clear improvement” over the previous group stage system. He anticipates that the second iteration of the reformed preliminary round will see Europe’s top teams adopting a more focused and aggressive approach.
Rummenigge highlighted the shortcomings of the old format, stating, “In the old group phase, everything was frequently enough decided after the fourth matchday. Bayern Munich was regularly through and there where one or two meaningless games.” this observation, shared with the German Press Agency, underscores the desire for a more consistently engaging competition.
A More competitive Landscape
The inaugural season of the new format, which saw Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City, and Paris Saint-Germain among the teams battling for playoff positions, provided compelling evidence of the system’s enhanced excitement. “The fact that four top teams were in the playoffs at the premiere – Bayern Munich, Real Madrid, Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain – for me was proof of how much more exciting this system is,” Rummenigge argued.
He emphasized the shift in mindset among the major clubs: “And the big ones understood that they have to go full throttle right from the start to get in the top eight – because everyone wants that.” FC Bayern, as an example, finished twelfth and missed direct qualification for the round of 16 in the 2024/25 season.
Learning Effect and Heightened Fan Engagement
Rummenigge believes that clubs initially approached the new format with a degree of caution. “A year ago a lot was still new, there are some top clubs that tackled one or the other game a little more loosely. I now expect a clear learning effect,” he stated. This suggests a more intense and strategic approach from teams in subsequent seasons.
The new format has also demonstrably increased fan engagement. Rummenigge noted the heightened emotional investment: ”For the fans,the preliminary round is now ‘much more emotional’. You are constantly looking at the cell phone: Where is Bavaria? Where is Real?” He concluded by praising UEFA, stating, “The UEFA has succeeded in doing a real coup.”
