Champions League: two teams already eliminated from the competition

Beaten on Tuesday night by Ajax and Club Brugge, Villarreal and Kairat Almaty are the first two clubs to officially exit the Champions League this season, hampered by an insufficient record after seven matchdays.

The first decisions have fallen in the Champions League. On Tuesday night, Villarreal and Kairat Almaty became the first two clubs officially eliminated from the competition this season. Stuck in 35th and 36th places in the overall standings, the two teams saw their last hopes fly away after renewed defeats. Villarreal were defeated 2-1 by Ajax, while Kairat Almaty slumped heavily on Club Brugge’s pitch (4-1).

After seven games played, the two teams have collected only one point each, a record insufficient to stay in contention in this new expanded format of the Champions League. For reference, of the 36 clubs involved, only the top 24 advance to the knockout phase. The eight best-ranked qualify directly for the round of 16, while the teams ranked from 9th to 24th will have to go through playoffs.