All 18 teams have been battling to progress since early October and we now have a rough idea which 12 teams will be able to qualify for the knockout stages, either automatically or via a playoff.
The knockout draw, which sets the full path of the bracket, will be held on Thursday, Dec. 18. There is no country protection, meaning teams from the same league can face each other throughout the knockouts.
Here's everything you need to know.
How does qualification work?
The top four in the league-phase table go straight through to the two-legged quarterfinals, which are to be played on March 24 and April 1.
The eight teams in positions 5 through to 12 go into the knockout-phase playoffs, which will be played on Feb. 11-12 and Feb. 18-19, to earn a place in the quarterfinals.
Teams in positions 13 to 18 are eliminated.
Then, from the league-phase playoffs onwards, the competition has a two-legged format through to the semifinals, with a traditional one-legged final.
How does the league phase feed into the knockout bracket?
The new format gives importance to league placing with teams paired. The higher you finish, the more favorable your path, including that jump direct to the quarterfinals for the top four.
Here's how it works.
For the knockout-phase playoffs, the draw will create four ties from:
11 or 12 vs. 5 or 6 (two ties)
9 or 10 vs. 7 or 8 (two ties)
The draw will place the four ties which have been created into a position in the bracket, in either the silver or blue half.
Then the paired teams in positions 1
