- Published
More teams, more games - and more goals.
Since the current Champions League format was introduced at the start of the 2024-25 season, Europe's elite club competition has delivered all of the above and more.
Especially the goals part.
asserted
competition → publish → above
The 187 goals scored so far have come at an average of 4.16 per game - the highest in Champions League history.
asserted
goals → score → history
"Look how many goals have been scored, it's phenomenal," ex-Manchester United and England winger Ashley Young said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
asserted
Young → look → Radio
Former Liverpool defender Stephen Warnock described the volume of goals as "incredible" - so how unusual is it?
asserted
it → describe → goals
What the stats say
Ready for lots of numbers?
asserted
say → say → numbers
While 40 goals were scored across nine games on Tuesday, last week was even more spectacular.
asserted
week → score → Tuesday
Last Wednesday saw the third highest-scoring day in Champions League history (46 goals), bettered only by the final league-phase matchdays of 2024-25 and 2025-26, when 18 matches took place.
asserted
matches → see → place
The 78 goals scored across Tuesday and Wednesday last week made matchday two the highest scoring in history.
asserted
matchday → score → history
That was nine more than the total scored on matchday one this season (69) - which, at the time, was the second highest-scoring matchday since the new league phase was introduced in 2024-25.
asserted
phase → score → 2024
Will we see the record fall again this week?
asserted
record → see → ?
Ever since Uefa announced its plans to alter the format of the Champions League in 2021, the impact on matches has been a hot topic.
asserted
impact → announce → matches
Scrutiny has only increased since the changes were implemented in time for the 2024-25 season.
asserted
changes → increase → season
After beginning life as a six-team invitational tournament in 1955-56 before growing to a 32-team knockout tournament in 1967, the Champions League as we know it began in 1992.
A group stage was added, with the last 16 entering a knockout phase.
asserted
16 → begin → phase
There was a brief spell with two group stages, but this was reverted back to the single group-stage format for the 2003-04 tournament.
asserted
this → be → tournament
The group stage previously featured 32 teams in eight groups of four, with the top two sides from each of those groups qualifying for the last 16.
asserted
sides → feature → 16
For the start of the 2024-25 season, the group stage was replaced with a 36-team league phase, with each side playing eight one-off fixtures instead of six games against three teams.
asserted
side → replace → teams
The top eight finishers qualify directly for the knockout stages, with those placed ninth to 24th entering a two-legged play-off stage.
asserted
those → qualify → stage
The bottom eight are eliminated, meaning that after eight matches, 24 sides are still in the competition.
asserted
sides → eliminate → competition
Some argue that that creates a lack of jeopardy, which encourages teams to play more expansively.
asserted
which → argue → teams
But do more goals equal better quality?
asserted
goals → equal → quality
"I think the entertainment has gone up, although I'm not sure the quality has gone up," The Times football writer Tom Arnott told BBC Radio 5 Live.
asserted
Arnott → think → Radio
"If I'm looking at the games it's brilliant to watch and thrilling because the football itself is fantastic - but what do they mean?
"The lack of jeopardy, why would PSG and Barcelona play for a draw, why not go for it?
asserted
PSG → look → it
If you need five wins from the eight games you know you've got some margin there.
asserted
you → need → margin
If you lose it's OK.
asserted
it → lose → ?
I think the format allows all the teams to loosen up.
asserted
teams → think → ?
"The entertainment value is there but I think you come away from these matches sometimes and still think 'what does it all mean?'.
asserted
it → think → what
The lack of jeopardy early on does deliver entertainment."
Watch highlights of every Champions League game from 22:00 on Wednesday on BBC iPlayer and the BBC Sport website and app.
asserted
lack → deliver → iPlayer
The Aporia
