10 Oct UEFA Confirms Champions League Seedings Revamp

UEFA has confirmed that the seedings for the Champions League group stage will change from next season, pending ratification by their Executive Committee.

Currently the 32 teams are grouped into the four pots based on their UEFA coefficient, which depends on performances in European competition over the previous five years. From 2015/16, Pot 1 will feature the champions of the top seven ranked leagues in Europe, plus the holders. The remaining pots will still be decided based on a teams coefficent.

UEFA General Secretary Gianni Infantino said “This will give another dynamic with the draw and in the way the groups are composed. It will be approved with the regulations at the start of next year. The club committee felt that there should be somehow an additional award given to the winners of the different national competitions.”

In truth, this doesn’t change a great deal. If the new seeding system had been in effect from this season, the major change would be a CSKA Moscow being in Pot 1, as the Russian league is currently ranked 7th in Europe. A couple of teams that regularly feature in Pot 1, such as Arsenal and Barcelona, would under the new seedings be in Pot 2. Pot 4 would in fact remain exactly the same.

Champions League group stage 2014/15

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern, Chelsea, Benfica, Atletico Madrid, Arsenal, Porto
Pot 2: Schalke, Dortmund, Juventus, PSG, Shakhtar, Basel, Zenit, Manchester City
Pot 3: Bayer Leverkusen, Olympiacos, CSKA Moscow, Ajax, Liverpool, Sporting, Galatasaray, Athletic Bilbao
Pot 4: Anderlecht, Roma, APOEL, BATE Borisov, Monaco, Malmö, Ludogorets, Maribor

Champions League groups with new seeding system

Pot 1: Real Madrid, Atletico Madrid, Bayern Munich, Manchester City, PSG, Benfica, Juventus, CSKA Moscow
Pot 2: Barcelona, Chelsea, Arsenal, Porto, Schalke, Dortmund, Shakhtar, Basel
Pot 3: Zenit, Bayer Leverkusen, Ajax, Liverpool, Olympiacos, Sporting, Galatasaray, Athletic Bilbao
Pot 4: Anderlecht, Roma, APOEL, BATE Borisov, Monaco, Malmö, Ludogorets, Maribor