UEFA Champions League: 1999/2000 Format explained
 

UEFA Champions League Qualifying Phases

Holders

1

Group 1

15: 9+6

Group 2

18: 6+3+3+6

Group 3

17: 6+11

Group 4

22

I I I I I
Qual Phase 1 I
I
I
I
I
I
I
I

22

I I I \ /
Qual Phase 2 I
I
I
I
I
I
17               11
I I \

/

Qual Phase 3 I
I
I
I
18

14

I I I
UEFA
CL
1 15 16

Qualifying Phases Explained
Five 'Groups' are involved in finally establishing the 32-team UEFA Champions League. To begin with, the title-holders and the 15 'Group 1' clubs automatically qualify for the UEFA Champions League.
'Group 1' consists of the league champions from the nine top-rated national associations from the UEFA Table of Coefficents, and the runners-up from the six top-rated national associations from the same ranking.

Three other groups are involved in the three-round qualifying process.

  • Q1: The First Qualifying Phase will consist of 22 clubs. These clubs, who make up 'Group 4', are the league champions from the national associations ranked from 27th to 48th in the UEFA Table of Coefficients.
  • Q2: The Second Qualifying Phase will consist of 28 clubs. The 11 winners from the First Qualifying Phase are joined by 17 clubs from 'Group 3', which comprise the 11 champions from the associations ranked from 16th to 26th in the UEFA Table of Coefficients as well as the six runners-up from associations ranked from 10th to 15th.
  • Q3: The clubs who advance from the Third Qualifying Phase will participate in the UEFA Champions League. This 14 clubs who advance from the Second Qualifying Phase are joined by the 18 clubs from 'Group 2'. These 18 clubs are drawn from four sources: firstly, there are the six third-placed clubs from the national associations ranked from 1st to 6th, secondly, there are three fourth-placed clubs from the national associations ranked from 1st to 3rd, thirdly there are three runners-up from the national associations ranked from 7th to 9th and, finally, there are the six champions from the national associations ranked from 10th to 15th in the UEFA Table of Coefficients.
Holders Group 1 Group 2   &   Group 3    &   Group 4
I I I \ /
Qual Phase 3 I
I
I
I
18

14

I I I
UEFA
CL
1 15 16

UEFA Champions League
Once the qualifiers from the Third Qualifying Phase are known, the make-up of the 32-club UEFA Champions League is complete. Two group phases are completed before the competition reverts to the traditional knock-out finish! The UEFA Executive Committee has decided that matches in the competition from this stage will be played on Tuesday and Wednesday evenings.

In UEFA Champions League Group Phase 1, the 32 qualifying clubs are divided into eight groups of four. In league format, each club plays one another both at home and away, meaning six matchdays for the participants.  

UEFA CL 4 4 4 4
Group
Phase 1 4 4 4 4

At the end of UEFA Champions League Group Phase 1, the eight group winners and runners-up qualify for the UEFA Champions League Group Phase 2. Here, four groups of four clubs exist, and, again, clubs play each other on a home-and-away basis, meaning six further matchdays.

UEFA CL 4 4
Group
Phase 2 4 4

At the culmination of UEFA Champions League Group Phase 2, the four winners and runners-up advance to the Quarter-Finals, when the competition adopts the knock-out format that currently exists. Both the Quarter-Finals and Semi-Finals will be played over two legs, and at the end of this process, two teams will contest the UEFA Champions League Final.

Qtr-Finals 1v1 1v1 1v1 1v1
1v1 1v1 1v1 1v1
Semi-Finals 1v1 1v1
1v1 1v1
Final 1v1

UEFA Table of Coefficients

UEFA Champions League - 32 teams

Group

Q3

Q2

Q1

TOT

Rk.

Association

Group

Q3

Q2

Q1

1

1

Holders

Holders

2

2

4

1

Italy

CH+RU

N3+N4

2

2

4

2

Germany

CH+RU

N3+N4

2

2

4

3

Spain

CH+RU

N3+N4

2

1

3

4

France

CH+RU

N3

2

1

3

5

Netherlands

CH+RU

N3

2

1

3

6

England

CH+RU

N3

1

1

2

7

Portugal

CH

RU

1

1

2

8

Greece

CH

RU

1

1

2

9

Czech Rep.

CH

RU

1

1

2

10

Norway

CH

RU

1

1

2

11

Austria

CH

RU

1

1

2

12

Russia

CH

RU

1

1

2

13

Croatia

CH

RU

1

1

2

14

Turkey

CH

RU

1

1

2

15

Denmark

CH

RU

1

1

16

Switzerland

CH

1

1

17

Ukraine

CH

1

1

18

Poland

CH

1

1

19

Hungary

CH

1

1

20

Belgium

CH

1

1

21

Slovakia

CH

1

1

22

Romania

CH

1

1

23

Sweden

CH

1

1

24

Georgia

CH

1

1

25

Cyprus

CH

1

1

26

Scotland

CH

1

1

27

Israel

CH

1

1

28

Slovenia

CH

1

1

29

Belarus

CH

1

1

30

Iceland

CH

1

1

31

Finland

CH

1

1

32

Latvia

CH

1

1

33

Bulgaria

CH

1

1

34

FYR Macedonia

CH

1

1

35

Lithuania

CH

1

1

36

Yugoslavia

CH

1

1

37

Moldova

CH

1

1

38

Estonia

CH

1

1

39

Armenia

CH

1

1

40

N. Ireland

CH

1

1

41

Malta

CH

1

1

42

Wales

CH

1

1

43

Rep of Ireland

CH

1

1

44

Faroe Isles

CH

1

1

45

Albania

CH

1

1

46

Luxembourg

CH

1

1

47

Azerbaijan

CH

1

1

48

Bosnia-Herz.

CH

16

18

17

22

73

TOTAL

16

18

17

22

KEY
Rk Ranking
CH League Champions
RU Runners-Up
N3 Third place in national league
N4 Fourth place in national league

 


20.05.1999

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