According to German media outlet Kicker, despite Leverkusen winning the Bundesliga title for the first time in their history, next season due to the
European crown
The reorganization is expected to keep Leverkusen out of the first slot. Instead
Bayern
will be in the first bracket of teams in the draw.
The UEFA Champions League will expand to 36 teams next season and each slot will consist of nine teams. With the exception of the defending champions, the slots will be determined based on UEFA points (European performance over the past 5 seasons). Leverkusen are currently in 14th place, and while the teams ahead of them may not have a European record, even so, they will struggle to break into the top 9.
Bayern is currently in 2nd place and will enter the first slot. Leipzig is in 7th place and will also be in the first slot. While Dortmund is in 13th place, Stuttgart
will be placed in the fourth slot.
Under the new format, the 36 teams will play a new league stage where each team will play 8 different teams. The top 8 will then automatically advance to the round of 16, while the 9th through 24th places will play two knockout rounds to determine the remaining 8 advancement spots. Teams ranked 25 through 36 will be eliminated from advancing to the UEFA Cup.
Additionally, the knockout playoffs will include teams seeded 9th through 16th against teams seeded 17th through 24th to determine the teams that advance to the Round of 16. Ultimately, the knockout rounds will follow the existing format, with the finals to be played at a neutral site with games set for midweek and Saturday.
