UEFA has given the green light for a 36-team Champions League reform which will include a single league format to replace the group stage.

European football’s main governing body announced a number of changes to the competition on Monday amid reports of a rival Super League formation which could see 12 of the biggest clubs on the continent breakaway.

The changes are slated to come into effect in 2024, with fixtures set to be played on Thursdays instead of Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and a play-off round added to the first stage.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has outlined the main reasons behind the reform in an official statement , which reads: “This new format supports the status and future of the domestic game throughout Europe as well. It retains the principle that domestic performance should be the key to qualification and reconfirms the principles of solidarity.

The traditional group stage concept which has seen four teams compete in eight pools with the top two qualifying for the last 16 will be scrapped in favour of a single league including 36 teams.

Each team will play a total of 10 games home and away, with the top eight automatically qualifying for the last 16 and those finishing between ninth and 24th to compete in two-legged play-offs to decide who else makes the knockout stage.

The teams that finish lower than 24th will exit European competition completely, and the last 16, quarter-finals, semi-finals and final will all continue with their original format.

The calendar has yet to be worked out to accommodate four additional matches but they will be played between September and January, while France have been handed a fifth qualifying spot from Ligue 1.