The new Champions League format this season will see more teams playing more games for more prize money. On Thursday, the Union of European Football Associations will make the draw in Monaco for the match schedule of the new single-standings league phase that replaces the traditional group stage.

The first new Champions League format since 2003 promises more of almost everything that Europe’s wealthiest and most influential clubs wanted from Uefa.

There are four more places in a 36-team line-up; at least eight games each instead of six; Champions League games scheduled in January for the first time; a prize money rise of at least 25 per cent to a minimum of 2.5 billion euros ($2.8 billion).

The new league phase in European club football’s marquee event will have 144 total games compared to 96 in the group stage last season.

The “key aims,” Uefa said, is to “improve competitive balance and sporting interest and in the process increase the number of meaningful matches — matches with something at stake for both sides — throughout the competition.”

In the eighth and final round, all 36 teams play on the same January 29 evening to finalise the standings which will decide which eight teams advance directly to the pre-quarter-finals — and with what seedings in a tennis-like knockout bracket — as well as which 16 go into a new knockout playoff round in February, and which 12 are eliminated.

What’s new?

Out goes the group-stage format played for 21 seasons where 32 teams were put into eight groups of four teams from a seeded draw. The top two in each group advanced to the pre-quarter finals. Groups gave each team six games from September into December, playing each rival once at home and once away.

In comes a single-standings league — 36 teams each playing eight games against eight different opponents through January.

The top eight in the standings go directly to the pre-quarter finals in March. Teams ranked ninth to 24th go into the knockout playoffs in February. The bottom 12 teams are eliminated.

In the playoffs, teams ranked Nos. 9-16 are seeded in the draw to play second legs at home against unseeded teams Nos. 17-24.

The four extra places

Two for countries whose teams collectively had the best record in Uefa club competitions in the previous season. That was Italy and Germany, so the fifth-placed teams in Serie A and the Bundesliga qualified: Bologna and Borussia Dortmund.

The fifth-ranked national league (based on five years of results in Uefa club competitions) gets a third direct entry. That is currently France and Brest was third in Ligue 1. An extra place goes to the qualifying rounds path for national champions from lower-ranked countries. They now play for five total qualifying places instead of four last season.

The draw

The 36 teams come out of four seeding pots graded by each team’s “Uefa club coefficient” – its ranking by results in five years of European competitions. The top-seeded pot contains recent Champions League winners and beaten finalists, plus Leipzig and Barcelona.

When a team’s ball is drawn, its slate of eight opponents — two from each seeding pot, one to play at home and one away — will be allocated by a software program and displayed within seconds.

Match dates will be confirmed on Saturday, to avoid city clashes with Europa League and Conference League games being drawn Friday in Monaco. Those lower-tier competitions also are a 36-team single-standings league. Conference League teams play just six games.