The Champions League did not start in September. It started on 7 July, in half-empty stadiums from Tallinn to Tirana, and by 11 August it had already burned through 76 matches. What follows is that story in numbers - and what it means for the country coefficients this site tracks.
The funnel: 28 clubs down to 14
Clubs in each round. Every round some clubs drop into the Europa League or Conference League instead of going home - the qualifying paths feed each other.
This is also where country coefficients are quietly decided. A qualifying win is worth half of a league-phase win, but there are a lot of them: those 76 matches have already moved federations up and down the five-year table.
Where the goals were scored
Total goals and the average per match. The first round is the wild one - the gap between the seeded and unseeded sides is at its widest before the field thins out.
Seven comebacks
Lech Poznan0-3AGF Aarhus
Aarhus lost the first leg 1-4 at home, won the return 3-0 and the shoot-out 4-3.
Kairat Almaty1-0Omonia Nicosia
1-0 down from Nicosia, level after 180 minutes, through 6-5 on penalties.
Olympique Lyon3-0Sparta Praha
Beaten 2-1 in Prague, Lyon turned the tie around in 90 minutes at home.
Sabah FK4-0AGF AarhusThe comeback kings were on the receiving end: Aarhus won the first leg 2-1 and lost the second 4-0.Also turned around: Shamrock Rovers (0-2 down, won 5-1), Hapoel Beer-Sheva and NK Celje.
The small federations are having a summer
Points divided by the number of clubs entered. Latvia sits 36th on the five-year table and 6th this season; Azerbaijan (26th) and Bulgaria (27th) are also running well above their standing.
Next: seven play-off ties, thirteen federations
First legs 18-19 August, return legs 25-26 August. Fourteen clubs, thirteen federations - only Norway has two. Seven of them reach the league phase; the seven losers drop into the Europa League.
The calendar from here
- 07.07First qualifying round begins28 clubs, 90 goals in nine days.
- 21.07Second qualifying roundThree penalty shoot-outs in a single round.
- 04.08Third qualifying roundTwenty clubs, two ties settled in extra time.
- 18.08Play-off first legsSeven ties across 18 and 19 August.
- 25.08Play-off return legsThe last seven places in the 36-club league phase are decided.
Every club named above has its own page here: squad value, stadium, the full season's matches with half-time scores, the league phase table once it starts, and the score and goal-timing breakdowns. Click any club name.