5.55pm is early for a Champions League game.
UEFA have announced a raft of changes to the Champions League and Europa League starting from next season, with different kick-off times being one of the most significant takeaways.
The Champions League is synonymous with midweek evening games, with most games having always kicked off at 7.45pm GMT/BST time. However, from the beginning of the 2018/19 season, matches will start at either 5.55pm or 8pm, mirroring the schedule of the Europa League.
7.45pm kick-offs were perfectly fine and have worked in the competition, so it's not entirely clear why UEFA has decided to introduce 5.55pm matches. If you finish work between 5 and 5.30 and face a longish journey home, you'll almost certainly miss the start of several games. Imagine sitting in traffic knowing a Champions League game has just kicked-off. The radio just doesn't cut it.
The top four English teams will automatically qualify for the group stages. In recent seasons, fourth place in the Premier League has usually been good enough to earn a two-legged qualifier. Italy, Germany and Spain will also get four places while the champions and Europa League winners will also see their spot booked.
https://twitter.com/ChampionsLeague/status/968402469788241920
In total, 26 teams will go directly into the group stage, leaving just six to enter the competition through the qualifying round.
Additionally, any team eliminated during the Champions League qualifying process will be given the opportunity to qualify for the Europa League.
Here is a summary of the key changes being brought in from the start of the 2018/19 campaign, as per UEFA's website.
- Twenty-six teams now gain direct entry to the UEFA Champions League group stage – including the UEFA Champions League and UEFA Europa League winners – with six qualifying places available
- Every team eliminated in UEFA Champions League qualifying will get a second chance in the UEFA Europa League
- Seventeen teams now gain direct entry to the UEFA Europa League group stage, with ten teams directly transferring from the UEFA Champions League play-offs and third qualifying round plus 21 qualifying places in two different paths (UEFA Europa League champions and league paths)
- There will be a preliminary round in qualifying for the UEFA Champions League (played as a knockout mini-tournament) and UEFA Europa League (played as two-legged ties)
- There is no change to the formats from the group stage onwards but there will be staggered kick-offs – 18.55CET and 21.00CET – in the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League
