CBS Sports Travels to Far Reaches of Europe To Tell Clubs' Stories During 2025-26 Champions League SeasonOnsite reporters, second year of Swiss model increase opportunities for storytellingBy Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor
Thursday, September 18, 2025 - 7:00 am
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UEFA Champions League nights have returned to various European cities, and the fun continues this afternoon with six matches in its three-day-long opening slate. CBS Sports, in its sixth season as domestic broadcaster, is building on years of success and relying on its talented group of production professionals.
With kickoffs of the NFL and college football and now Champions League football, it's one of the most exciting times of the year at CBS Sports, says David Berson, president/CEO, CBS Sports, noting, The vision of [Coordinating Producer] Pete [Radovich] has helped lead us to where we've come in just a few short years.
Smaller Clubs, Bigger Stories: Revamped Tournament Format Offers New StorylinesPrior to the 2024-25 UCL season, the competition relied on the traditional schedule that many major tournaments, including the FIFA Men's and Women's World Cups, use for matchday configuration. In the previous iteration, 32 teams were broken into eight groups of four teams each. All teams would play six games in the Group Stage, with two matches - one home, one away - against the other teams in their group.
Beginning with last year's tournament and continuing this year, the recently integrated Swiss model still includes the typical Knockout Stage but has eliminated Groups. Now the 36 clubs play eight matches each against different opponents. When the dust settles after Matchday 8, similarly to a standard league table in the Premier League, Major League Soccer, etc., the top eight clubs advance directly to the Round of 16; the other 16 clubs compete in a Knockout Phase playoff with two legs, and eight clubs are eliminated.
The change in model is similar to Major League Baseball's decision to have all 30 teams play each other throughout the year. In baseball, that not only allowed fans to see some of the best matchups on television more than a handful of times every two or three years but allowed them to also experience the best players in person when opponents came to their city. The Champions League will provide the same opportunities on a larger scale, but, from a production perspective, each broadcast can tell the story of a particular matchup or a certain club that the American audience hasn't heard before.
We have an opportunity to shine a light on some of the teams that otherwise wouldn't get it, says Radovich. For example, we have teams from Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Cyprus, and Norway playing in this tournament, so, during those early days, we're going to spend a little bit more time on the clubs from the smaller nations, which I think is deserved.
Radovich also likens this new era of the Champions League to the NCAA Men's and Women's Basketball Tournaments, in which smaller clubs vie against traditional bluebloods. This year's schedule features some of these David-vs.-Goliath matchups, including Real Madrid vs. FC Kairat, Pafos FC vs. Bayern Munich, and FK Bod /Glimt vs. Juventus. In a tournament like the Champions League, pride in one's club is important - no matter the size.
We're going to be exploring the off-the-beaten-path route of some of these European clubs that are competing. We'll be sending [pitchside reporter] Guillem [Balagu ] to Kazakhstan since it's a very big deal for FC Kairat to host Real Madrid, adds Radovich. For us not to be there on some level would be crazy.
More-familiar clubs will still receive their fair share of coverage. For Manchester City vs. Napoli, which takes place today at Etihad Stadium, analyst and former Cityzen Micah Richards will be onsite for real-time reports on the action.
Studio Chemistry: UEFA Champions League Today Returns With Similar Quartet at the TableIn what has become a staple of CBS Sports' Champions League coverage, UEFA Champions League Today improved with each subsequent tournament. Featuring host Kate Scott and analysts Thierry Henry, Jamie Carragher, and Richards, with rules analyst Christina Unkel in appearances to break down controversial calls, the show blends in-depth analysis by personalities fully engaged in the game with lightheartedness making the on-air talent relatable to viewers.
Fans love the chemistry between Kate, Terry, Jamie, and Micah, says Berson. It's evident in the show and the many clips that become viral on social media. We have close to a thousand social clips from UEFA Champions League Today that garnered over a million video views last season.
For fast-paced and NFL RedZone-style coverage, The Golazo Show with Nico Cantor and Nigel Reo-Coker will cover every goal from the simultaneous kickoffs. In the booth, CBS Sports is transitioning with a new addition after the retirement of a commentary legend. Concluding a 23-year broadcasting career filled with memorable catchphrases and unforgettable energy, analyst Ray Hudson will step away from the microphone. His final farewell came in Inter Milan's back-and-forth 4-3 victory against Barcelona in the 2024-25 UCL Semifinals, which is now considered one of the most exciting semifinal matches in the history of the UEFA Champions League.
[His retirement] is bittersweet, says Radovich. We were intentional, bringing in faces and names of people that hadn't been on television in the U.S. before, but I'm proud that we were able to talk Ray into calling some games. There certainly were unforgettable moments during the last three years.
Taking Hudson's place will be former U.S. National Team goalkeeper Tony Meola. The 18-year, 100-cap Am
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CBS Sports Travels to Far Reaches of Europe To Tell Clubs' Stories During 2025-26 Champions League SeasonOnsite reporters, second year of Swiss model increase opportunities for storytellingBy Kristian Hern ndez, Senior Editor 
