The Champions League is arguably the most prestigious club football tournament in the world.
Taking place every season alongside other domestic leagues and competitions, teams first qualify for the chance to play in the tournament proper before they then find themselves in groups of four.
The format will be changed for the 2024/25 season under new UEFA guidelines and legislation, but for this current campaign, the old group stage remains.
With the top two in each group then advancing to the knockout rounds, what happens to the team that finishes third? We give you all the details you need to know.
MORE: UEFA Champions League group stage standings, results, schedule, and fixtures for 2023/24
What happens to teams that finish 3rd at the Champions League group stage?
At present in 2023/24, UEFA has three European competitions that teams participate within; the Champions League, the Europa League and the Europa Conference League.
The Champions League is the most prestigious of the three tournaments with some of the biggest clubs in European football qualifying for the competition each season.
In the group stage in its current format, the best two sides who finish first and second progress to the knockout rounds of the tournament.
If a team finishes third in the group, they are then demoted to the next biggest competition (in the case of the Champions League, that would be the Europa League) and join that tournament at the knockout round.
What are the tiebreakers rules during the Champions League group stage?
During the group stage of the Champions League in 2023/24, each team will play each other twice, once at home and one away.
As usual in football, it's three points for a win, one for a draw and none for a loss. At the same time, results also matter as goal difference is also taken into account.
In some situations, teams can find themselves on the same points at the end of the group stage. Both teams are then subjected to a number of tiebreakers in which one will eventually split the two sides in question.
Here is the full list of UEFA Champions League group stage tiebreakers follow below as per the official tournament regulations:
- Points obtained in group matches played among teams in question
- Superior goal difference from group matches played among teams in question
- Goals scored in group matches played among teams in question
- Criteria 1-3 reapplied exclusively to the matches between the remaining teams
- Superior goal difference in all group matches
- Goals scored in all group matches
- Away goals scored in all group matches
- Wins in all group matches
- Away wins in all group matches
- Disciplinary points total based only on yellow and red cards
- UEFA club coefficient
What happens to teams that finish 3rd at the Europa League group stage?
With the recent introduction of a third European competition in the UEFA Europa Conference League a few years back, the Europa League group stage now follows a similar format to that of the Champions League.
In the same vein, teams play each other twice, both home and away with the same amount of points awarded depending on the result.
The two top teams then advance to the Europa League knockout rounds, whilst the third place team is demoted to the Europa Conference League and holds a place in the knockout rounds.
What are the tiebreakers rules during the Europa League group stage?
The process of tiebreakers used to settle the final group stage position of sides in the Europa League with identical records is almost exactly the same as in the Champions League.
- Points in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goal difference in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- Goals scored in head-to-head matches among the tied teams;
- If more than two teams are tied, and after applying all head-to-head criteria above, a subset of teams are still tied, all head-to-head criteria above will be reapplied exclusively to this subset of teams;
- Goal difference in all group matches;
- Goals scored in all group matches;
- Away goals scored in all group matches;
- Wins in all group matches;
- Away wins in all group matches;
- Disciplinary points (direct red card = 3 points; double yellow card = 3 points; single yellow card = 1 point);
- UEFA club coefficient.
