Part 3/7:
Following this phase, the format becomes intricate. The playoff matches will involve teams ranked between 9th and 24th, where matchups are determined based on both seeding and draw. Each pairing takes into account the final league positions: for example, teams ranked 9th and 10th would face teams placed 23rd or 24th. Simplifying this, one can see that clubs like PSG and Benfica could end up playing against Monaco or Brest in the playoffs, with success in these matches determining their progress into the next rounds. The system introduces a level of unpredictability that has sparked both intrigue and debate among fans.