The 2024/25 football season is bringing major changes to Europe’s top competitions and the FIFA Club World Cup, with new formats and lots of added excitement. And it's not just football tournaments evolving - technology is also pushing the boundaries of how we experience live sports. Cosm is blending reality with cutting-edge tech to give us mind-blowing ‘shared reality’ experiences.
Here’s why this season will thrill and surprise!
Massive Changes in European Football for 2024/25
The 2024/25 season is shaking things up in European football with major format changes in the UEFA Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League. These tweaks are meant to bring more excitement for both fans and players.
First up, the group stage format we’re used to is gone. Instead of the traditional groups of four, 36 teams will compete in one big league phase.
In the Champions League, each team will play eight games - four at home and four away - against different teams from seeded pots. This adds at least two extra matches for every team, making the race to the knockout rounds even more intense.
The top eight teams go straight to the round of 16, while teams finishing 9th to 24th will fight for a spot through a playoff. Teams finishing 25th or lower are eliminated outright - no dropping into the Europa League for a second chance!
The Europa League and Conference League will follow a similar setup, but with teams playing eight and six matches in the league phase, respectively.
On top of that, the FA Cup is getting a refresh too. For the first time in five years, all rounds - including the fifth - will be played on weekends. And replays? Scrapped from the first round onwards. Premier League games will no longer clash with the big FA Cup stages, so the tournament gets the attention it deserves.
FIFA Club World Cup 2025: A Global Showcase in the USA
The FIFA Club World Cup 2025 will debut in June and July 2025, and it has a brand new format. For the first time, 32 of the top club teams from across the globe will compete, making this tournament the biggest in Club World Cup history.
Here’s what’s new:
Expanded Format: Previous editions had just seven teams, but in 2025, 32 clubs from all six FIFA confederations will take part. Teams are split into eight groups of four, playing in a group stage like we’ve seen in recent FIFA World Cups.
Group Stage: Teams will play three matches in a single-game round-robin format within their groups. The top two teams from each group will advance to the knockout stages, replacing the previous single-elimination format.
Knockout Rounds: The competition heats up in the Round of 16, where a direct knockout format will be used all the way to the final. And if it’s a draw? Extra time and penalties will settle the score.
No Third-Place Playoff: For the first time, there’s no bronze medal match. It’s all about the semi-finals and final, keeping the focus on high-stakes matches.
This fresh new format is set to raise the stakes, with more teams, more matches, and more chances to see top talent from around the world competing for club football’s biggest prize.
Cosm: Watching Live Sports As If You’re in the Stadium
Image credits: Cosm
At first glance, you might think the image above shows an executive box or premium hospitality area. But it’s actually Cosm.
Cosm is completely reimagining the way we experience live sports with its cutting-edge tech that merges the virtual and physical worlds into what it calls “Shared Reality”. It feels like you’re right in the stadium.
The main attraction is the Dome – a massive 26-meter-wide, 12K LED screen that surrounds the audience. The visuals are so vivid, it’s like watching the match in person. You also get the usual TV angles and stats on smaller screens, and if you don’t want to leave your seat, you can order food and drinks via an app.
But it’s not just the tech that makes Cosm special. It captures the excitement of live events with the energy of the crowd. There’s a shared social experience. You can experience dramatic moments together with friends and strangers as you’re part of an audience.
Before you start thinking this experience is hard to access, you should know that Cosm is growing fast, backed by over $250 million USD in investment. The first location opened in Los Angeles in June 2024, the second in Dallas in August, and the next one will launch in Atlanta.
Cosm has already formed partnerships with NBC Sports, UFC, and ESPN, to name but a few, to broadcast top-tier events like Premier League games and major US sports leagues.
The excitement surrounding Cosm is huge, so we may soon see this experience in other parts of the world.
Wrapping Up
With these massive changes and innovations, the 2024/25 football season promises to be truly transformative. From the strategic shifts in Europe's premier tournaments to the global stage of the FIFA Club World Cup and the groundbreaking Cosm technology, there’s no shortage of thrilling developments on the horizon.
Is this a new era in football? Maybe, but one thing is clear: the game is evolving, and so are we. Let’s enjoy and make the most of the new football season!
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