The UEFA Champions League is without any doubt the most important soccer competition in the Old Continent. Previously known as the European Cup, this is the tournament every team in Europe wants to play in.
Real Madrid are by far the most dominant club this competition has ever seen, as the Spanish giants won the title on an impressive 14 occasions. On the other hand, teams that became powerful in recent years such as PSG or Manchester City have yet to win the trophy.
Though every Champions League kicks off with a qualification phase, for world soccer the real competition starts with the group stage, where all 32 qualified teams are divided into eight groups of four. The top two in each group advance to the double-legged knockout stage, but what about the other two?
What happens to the 3rd and 4th teams in the UEFA Champions League group stage?
While the first two teams in each group clinch a berth to the round of 16, the other two are eliminated from the Champions League. However, there’s a big difference between finishing third or bottom of the group.
Are teams eliminated from the Champions Leaguetransferred to the Europa League?
All third-placed teams in theUEFA Champions League group stage aresent to the UEFA Europa League round of 32—know called the knockout round playoffs—where they are drawn against the UEL group runners-up.
Meanwhile, teams who finish fourth in the Champions League group stage are eliminated from European football that season. That’s right, they don’t even get the chance to play in the UEFA Conference League.