MONACO (AP) — Now that the 36 teams contesting the Champions League are set, the draw for the most prized title in European club soccer will be made Thursday in Monaco.
Each team will face eight opponents in the opening league phase which runs from September through January.
The list of teams is more dominated than ever by the five wealthiest leagues — England, Italy, Spain, Germany and France. But the list is also one of the most diverse with entries from Cyprus and Kazakhstan among teams new to this league stage of the multi-billion dollar competition.
Here’s a look at the Champions League this season by the numbers:
4
Clubs on debut in the main stage of the Champions League: Bodo/Glimt from Norway, Kairat Almaty from Kazakhstan, Pafos from Cyprus, Union Saint-Gilloise from Belgium.
6
English clubs in the 36-team draw, a record number from one country. The Premier League had four guaranteed entries; plus a bonus fifth — like Spain — for best overall performance in UEFA’s three competitions last season; plus Europa League title holder Tottenham.
8
Guaranteed games for each team in the group stage. That's two more than the traditional format when the competition featured 32 teams divided into groups of four. Each team plays eight different opponents, four at home and four away.
15
Record number of titles won by Real Madrid. AC Milan is next on seven, but the Italian giant didn't qualify for this edition. Paris Saint-Germain will be defending the title for the first time.
17
Tottenham’s Premier League finishing position last season, a record low of any team to play in the next season’s Champions League.
144
Total number of games in the 36-team single-standings league format that last season replaced the traditional 96-game group stage with 32 teams.
2007
When a Norwegian team last played in the main Champions League. Bodo/Glimt, the small town team from inside the Arctic Circle, follows Rosenborg 18 years ago.
7,000
Number of kilometers (or 4,350 miles) from Almaty in central Asia to Lisbon in the west of Europe, where Sporting Lisbon and Benfica play. Kazakhstan is four hours ahead of Portugal and England.
19.6 million
Amount in euros ($22.9 million) guaranteed to even the lowest-ranked team, Kairat. That’s before adding bonuses for game results and final standings places, plus shares of broadcast money.
150 million
Amount in euros ($175 million) the title winner in May can expect to earn in total from UEFA.
2.47 billion
Amount in euros ($2.88 billion) of UEFA’s total prize money fund for this edition of the Champions League. That’s more than four times the prize fund for the second-tier Europa League.
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AP soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
Graham Dunbar, The Associated Press
