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The UEFA Champions League gets underway this week as Europe's leading clubs return to the competition's expanded 36-team league phase, with Galatasaray and Fenerbahce set to represent Türkiye in a format that has replaced the traditional group stage.
The league phase, now entering its third season, begins on Sept. 8 and runs through Jan. 27, when the final fixtures will be played simultaneously.
Instead of being split into groups of four, all 36 clubs appear in a single standings table. However, each team plays only eight opponents, with four matches at home and four away.
Clubs collect three points for a win and one for a draw, meaning the table works like a domestic league even though teams do not face every other side.
The final standings determine how each club moves forward in the competition.
The top eight teams qualify directly for the Round of 16, while clubs finishing from ninth to 24th move into a two-legged knockout playoff for the remaining places in the last 16.
Teams placed 25th to 36th are eliminated from European competition, with no transfer into the UEFA Europa League.
Finishing higher also carries an advantage in the playoff round, as teams ranked ninth to 16th are seeded and, in principle, play the second leg at home against sides finishing from 17th to 24th.
Unlike the former group stage, where teams faced the same three opponents both home and away, the league phase gives every club a different eight-match schedule.
There is no fixed mini-group or return fixture against the same opponent, making every result part of a broader 36-team qualification race.
That also increases the importance of goal difference, particularly when several clubs finish level on points. While an away draw against a leading European side can help a campaign, heavy defeats can become costly when the final standings are calculated.
Squad depth may also come into play as the competition stretches from September into January alongside domestic leagues, cup competitions and international breaks.
Galatasaray begin their Champions League run away to Sporting CP on Sept. 9 before welcoming Barcelona to Istanbul on Oct. 13.
They then travel to face Lille before hosting Stuttgart and Aston Villa in November.
The Turkish champions continue their campaign away against AEK Athens in December, before facing Feyenoord at home and closing the league phase away to current champions Paris Saint-Germain on Jan. 27.
Their eight opponents are Sporting CP, Barcelona, Lille, Stuttgart, Aston Villa, AEK Athens, Feyenoord and PSG.
Fenerbahce open their league-phase campaign at home against Roma on Sept. 10 before traveling to England to take on Aston Villa.
They then host Slavia Prague and Liverpool before going on the road against Shakhtar Donetsk in London and LASK in Austria.
The Yellow Canaries return to Istanbul to face Villarreal in January before wrapping up their league phase away against Atletico Madrid on Jan. 27.
Fenerbahce's eight opponents are Roma, Aston Villa, Slavia Prague, Liverpool, Shakhtar Donetsk, LASK, Villarreal and Atletico Madrid.
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