The new expanded Champions League format is so complex that the draw will be made by computer, after Uefa found it would take up to four hours without digital assistance.
A 36-team competition comes into effect next season, with results from eight rounds of fixtures in the league phase – each team will face eight opponents, four at home, four away – forming a table. From there, the top eight teams go through to the round of 16, while 16 more play off to complete the knockout lineup. It is a system the governing body believes will deliver more big games and greater jeopardy than the current Champions League format, but explaining its intricacies may prove a challenge.
