Competitive balance in the UEFA Champions League group stage: novel measures show no evidence of decline

L\'aszl\'o Csat\'o and D\'ora Gr\'eta Petr\'oczy
Authors registered in the RePEc Author Service: Dóra Gréta Petróczy

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Abstract: Competitive balance, which refers to the level of control teams have over a sports competition, is a crucial indicator for tournament organisers. According to previous studies, competitive balance has significantly declined in the UEFA Champions League group stage over the recent decades. Our paper introduces alternative indices to investigate this issue. Two ex ante measures are based on Elo ratings, and four dynamic concentration indicators compare the final group ranking to reasonable benchmarks. Using these indices, we find no evidence of any long-run trend in the competitive balance of the UEFA Champions League group stage between the 2003/04 and 2023/24 seasons.

Date: 2024-06, Revised 2025-07
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cul and nep-spo
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