As new-look Champions League begins, here's how the format works - ESPN

The UEFA Champions League is back, but not how we've ever seen it before. Some changes are simple, others are more complicated, and a few might seem a bit of a mystery until we get to the knockout rounds in February.

So, what is the new format? How did the draw work? And what will the league phase look like?

Let's start with the basics. This season marks the first time in 21 years that we've had a format change for Europe's top club competition. For the previous 21 seasons, 32 teams qualified and were drawn into eight groups of four. The top two teams went through to the round of 16, with third dropping into the UEFA Cup/Europa League and fourth eliminated from Europe.

We now have 36 teams, but they are no longer drawn into groups. Instead, we have the Champions League «league phase.»

So, how does it work?

• Teams were drawn to play eight fixtures, four at home and four away
• Teams in positions 25 to 36 are eliminated in January
• The 16 teams in positions 9 through to 24 play in the knockout phase playoffs, in February, to earn a place in the round of 16
• The top eight go straight through to the round of 16, played in March

Also new for this year: it's no longer possible to drop into the Europa League from the Champions League (or into the Conference League from the Europa League). Once you're out, you're out.

From the knockout phase playoffs onwards, the competition retains its two-legged format through to the semifinals, with a traditional one-legged final, but with limited draws — more on that later.

Rather than groups, the Champions League draw created individual eight-game fixture lists for each of the 36 participants.

Not much changed in how the draw looked on paper, as there were still four pots of teams that