The stage is set for Manchester City as they embark on their defense of the Champions League title starting on Tuesday.
This season, the competition marks its swan song in the current format, which has graced the European football scene for the past two decades.
This impending revolution was unveiled by the UEFA in 2021 during a tumultuous period when a group of 12 clubs briefly flirted with the idea of a breakaway Super League before swiftly abandoning the project.
The new-look Champions League, slated to kick off next year, will usher in a host of changes designed to elevate the tournament's competitiveness and intrigue.
One of the most significant alterations is the expansion of the tournament from 32 to 36 clubs, all vying for glory in what is being dubbed the "Swiss system."
Instead of the familiar six group stage fixtures, each team will now engage in eight thrilling encounters.
This shift is intended to level the playing field and foster a more fiercely contested competition.
However, it is worth noting that this season represents the final hurrah for the age-old tradition of eight groups, each containing four teams.
The top two from each group have typically advanced to the knockout stages for the past two decades.
"We are convinced that the format chosen strikes the right balance and that it will improve the competitive balance," said Aleksander Ceferin, the president of European football's governing body, UEFA, when the changes were greenlit in May of the previous year.
The outgoing format, which was introduced for the 2003-04 season, has been praised for its symmetry and simplicity.
It is a system that has worked efficiently, with half of the participating teams gracefully transitioning from the group stage to the last 16.
Yet, in an era of ever-expanding club and international competitions, the need for change has become increasingly apparent.
The gap in financial might between the continent's footballing behemoths and the rest of the field continues to widen, partly fueled by the distribution of prize money based on the UEFA's club ranking.
The top-ranked team receives a staggering 36 million euros, while the lowest-ranked side must make do with just over 1 million euros. It is an elite arena where some teams appear to be merely participating, albeit lucratively so.
One might find it challenging to imagine Swiss side Young Boys or Serbia's Red Star Belgrade making a substantial impact in a group that includes Pep Guardiola's Manchester City and RB Leipzig.
City, fresh off their triumph in June against Inter Milan, enter the competition as the favorites to clinch back-to-back titles.
Their long-awaited conquest last season marked a milestone in the club's journey, driven by the Abu Dhabi-led transformation of 2008.
Spanish midfielder Rodri, who scored the winner in last season's final, encapsulated the club's ambition, declaring, "This project is to want more, more ambition."
But who can realistically halt City's quest for continental supremacy? The champions of Switzerland and Serbia, or a Leipzig side that lost star defender Josko Gvardiol to City in the summer, seem unlikely candidates.
With a record 14 titles to their name, Real Madrid perennially loom as contenders.
However, Carlo Ancelotti's squad faces a formidable group featuring Napoli, Braga, and the newcomers from Union Berlin.
Bayern Munich has bolstered their attacking prowess with the acquisition of Harry Kane, while Paris Saint-Germain has navigated the transfer market tumult, retaining Kylian Mbappe and fortifying their squad.
The stories of both Bayern and PSG, as always, will be etched in the annals of history by their performances in the Champions League.
Arsenal, making their long-awaited return to the competition since 2016-17, is eager to make a lasting impression, while Saudi ownership has thrust Newcastle United back into the European spotlight after a two-decade hiatus.
However, their path is riddled with giants, as they share a group with PSG, AC Milan, and Borussia Dortmund. Perhaps UEFA would have been less inclined to overhaul the format had they witnessed groups like these more frequently.
"It's hard and challenging, but I think there are some great European games for us to experience and great places to visit for our supporters," mused Newcastle manager Eddie Howe ahead of his team's clash with seven-time European champions Milan on Tuesday.