Maintained by Erdinç Sivritepe
	Last updated: Aug 22
	The Format
	The Structure

	UEFA Champions League is designed to be a 73 team competition. The title holder and 72
	other teams qualifying from their countries' league competitions.
	The countries send teams to this competition according to the second last UEFA five-year
	country rankings. Northern European countries play their leagues during the spring and
	summer and start playing before the last  ranking is finalized.

	Last UCL winner enters the competition as Title Holder.
	72 teams are selected and named as follows:
	Countries ranked 1 through 3 can send 4 teams each
		(the first four in their leagues - Team-1, Team-2, Team-3, Team-4).
	Countries ranked 4 through 6 can send 3 teams each
		(the first three in their leagues - Team-1, Team-2, Team-3).
	Countries ranked 7 through 15 can send 2 teams each
		(the first two in their leagues - Team-1, Team-2).
	Countries ranked 16 through 48 can send 1 team each
		(the league winners - Team-1).
	Countries ranked 49 through 50 are not allowed in the UCL.
	Since Liechtenstein does not have a league of their own, they are not ranked with the other
	50 countries and can not send any teams to the UCL.

	The title holder's finishing position may change this table a little bit.
	If they can also qualify as one of the other entries as well, then the Title Holder entry
	is used but the other entry is not used.
	Example: Manchester United FC qualified to the 1999-2000 UCL as Title Holder and Team-1
	from a country ranked 4 through 6 in the UEFA country ranking. Team-1 entry is not used and
	the competition was played with 72 teams.
	According to another rule, a country can have maximum 4 teams in the competition including
	the title holder. If the title holder is from a country ranked 1 through 3 and they can not
	also qualify as one of the four teams, then the Team-4 is dropped and the country can
	send Title Holder, Team-1, Team-2, and Team-3 to UCL.
	Example: Real Madrid CF qualified to the 2000-2001 UCL as the title holder, but couldn't
	qualify as one of the top four teams from a country ranked 1 through 3. Their country had
	to drop Team-4.
	The Scheduling

	UCL starts with three qualification rounds which are played in two-legged cup format:
	Qualification Round 1, Qualification Round 2, and Qualification Round 3
	Then there are two rounds which are played in home-away league format:
	League Stage 1 and League Stage 2
	The quarter-finals and semi-finals are played again in two-legged cup format.
	Final is played as one game final at a predetermined venue.

	The teams start the competition at different stages of the competition depending upon
	their countries' position in the UEFA country ranking.

	The schedule is set to have 32 teams at League Stage 1 and no teams can join after L1 stage.
	The schedule for 73 teams are as follows:

	Qualification Round 1: 22 teams
		22 Team-1 from the countries ranked 27 to 48.
	Qualification Round 2: 28 teams
		11 QR1 winners
		17 new teams:
			11 Team-1 from countries ranked 16 through 26
			 6 Team-2 from countries ranked 10 through 15
	Qualification Round 3: 32 teams
		14 QR2 winners
		18 new teams
			 6 Team-1 from countries ranked 10 through 15
			 3 Team-2 from countries ranked  7 through  9
			 6 Team-3 from countries ranked  1 through  6
			 3 Team-4 from countries ranked  1 through  3
	League Stage 1: 32 teams
		16 QR3 teams
		16 new teams
			 1 Title Holder
			 9 Team-1 from countries ranked  1 through  9
			 6 Team-2 from countries ranked  1 through  6

	Depending upon the Title Holder's qualification, some adjustment may be done.
	If any of the Team-1, Team-2, Team-3, or Team-4 entry is not used it will create a void for
	the round that team supposed to start.
	In that case that void is filled with a Team-1 starting from the previous round. When this
	move is done, it may also create another void in the round the team is moved from, then that
	void is also filled with another Team-1 from the round previous to that one. This eventually
	will create a void in QR1 and the team number for that round will be 21. In that case the
	next Team-1 also is upgraded to QR2 and 18 teams start at QR2 instead of 17.
	Example 1:
	In 1999-2000, Team-1 from England is not used since Manchester United FC qualified as the
	Title Holder. Team-1 from country ranked 10 filled the void at League Stage 1. Team-1 from
	the country ranked 16 filled the void at QR3. Team-1 from country ranked 27 filled the void
	at QR2 and Team-1 from country ranked 28 also started at QR2 as the odd team at QR1.
	QR1 was played with 20 teams.
	Example 2:
	In 2000-2001, Team-4 from Spain is not used and created a void at QR3. Team-1 from country
	ranked 16 filled the void at QR3. Team-1 from country ranked 27 filled the void at QR2 and
	Team-1 from the country ranked 28 also started at QR2 as the odd team at QR1.
	QR1 was played with 20 teams.
	The Seeding and the Draw Procedures

	UEFA uses a different ranking for the seeding. Like the countries, the teams are also ranked
	individually. This team ranking defines the seeds for the round.
	Qualifying Round 1
	10 of the 20 teams are seeded according to 95/96 to 99/00 Five-year Team ranking.
	The seeded teams are placed in one pot and the rest into another pot.
	One team is drawn each pot to set up the pairings. These two are mixed and drawn to find
	the home team for the first leg.
	Qualifying Round 2
	10 winners of the QR1 are joined by 18 new teams for this round.
	14 of the 28 teams are seeded for this round. However, the draw is made together with QR1
	draw, before the QR1 games are played. A team still to play QR1 tie may have enough points
	to be a seed at QR2. In that case the winner of that tie at QR1 is seeded using the higher
	of the team ranking of the tie.
	Same procedure is followed by placing the seeds and non-seeds to two pots, etc.
	Qualifying Round 3
	18 new teams join the 14 winners of QR2.
	16 of these 32 are seeded. The draw is made again, before the QR2 games are played.
	A team still to play QR2 tie may have enough points to be a seed at QR3. In that case the
	winner of that tie at QR2 is seeded using the higher of the team ranking of the tie.
	The procedure for the draw is once more the same procedure.
	League Round 1
	The team count is 32 for this round. LR1 is played in eight groups with four teams in each
	group. 32 teams are placed in four pots according to the Team Rankings. The title holder
	and  the next seven are placed in Pot 1, the next eight in Pot 2, the next eight in Pot 3,
	and the rest in Pot 4.
	At first the Pot 1 teams draw the groups from 1 to 8. Then the Pot 2, Pot3, and Pot 4.

	Four groups play the games on Tuesday-Wednesday-Tuesday-Wednesday-Tuesday-Wednesday
	rotation, the other four follows Wed-Tue-Wed-Tue-Wed-Tue rotation.

	During the draw, some arrangements are done for the countries with multiple entries.
	The teams from these countries are split as evenly as possible to different rotations.
	For countries with more than two teams another pairing is also done before the draw.
	Top two teams are split into two different rotations. If there are more than one teams from
	a city, they are also divided evenly for the rotations.
	League Round 2
	16 teams play this round in four groups again with four teams in each.
	There will be four pots again. The eight group winners of LR1 are placed in Pot 1 and Pot 2.
	The eight group seconds make the Pot 3 and Pot 4. The team rankings decide the pot of each
	team. The procedure is the same as LR1 following the same rotations arrangements as well.
	Quarter-Finals
	Four group winners are seeded and placed in one pot and the seconds in another pot.
	The group winners play first game away and second game at home.
	Semi-Finals
	The draw for this round is made together with the QF draw. No seeding is done.
	Four pairings of the QF are drawn against each other.
	Final
	Final is played at a pre-determined site.