UEFA Champions League – New format, same class

The UEFA Champions League will feature a new format in this 2024-25 season, but retains all the class, history and prestige that makes it the most highly-regarded club football competition in the world.

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The UEFA Champions League will complete its playoff phase this midweek of 27-28 August, before the draw for the League Phase is made in Monaco on Thursday 29 August.

Previously this draw would divide the final 32 teams into eight groups of four. However, in the new format, 36 teams will be in one ‘joint group’ but separated into four pots of nine, based on their 2023 UEFA association coefficients. This takes into account their performance in European competitions from 2018–19 to 2022–23.

Each team will be drawn against two teams from each pot, but will only play one team from each pot at home and one team from each pot away – creating four home fixtures and four away fixtures.

After each of the 36 teams has played their eight games, the top eight in the ‘joint group’ league table will advance to the last 16. The teams that finish 9th to 24th will be drawn against each other in a two-legged knockout playoff round, with the winners advancing to the last 16. From this point, the competition has the same knockout format as before, culminating in the final, which will be held at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 31 May 2025.

The bottom 12 teams (25th or lower) will be eliminated from all European competitions completely, with no ‘dropping’ into the UEFA Europa League, as was the case in years gone by. And as an aside, the Europa League and UEFA Conference League will also follow the same 36-team format.

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2024-25 UEFA Champions League schedule

29 August – League Phase draw

17-19 September – League Phase Matchday 1

1-2 October – League Phase Matchday 2

22-23 October – League Phase Matchday 3

5-6 November – League Phase Matchday 4

26-27 November – League Phase Matchday 5

10-11 December – League Phase Matchday 6

21-22 January – League Phase Matchday 7

29 January – League Phase Matchday 8

 

31 January – Knockout Playoffs draw

11-12 February – Knockout Playoffs, first leg

18-19 February – Knockout Playoffs, first leg

 

21 February 2025 – Draw for remainder of competition

4-5 March – Round of 16, first leg

11-12 March – Round of 16, second leg

8-9 April – Quarterfinals, first leg

15-16 April – Quarterfinals, second leg

29-30 April – Semifinals, first leg

6-7 May – Semifinals, second leg

31 May – Final at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany

Did You Know?

The 2024-25 UEFA Champions League features 81 teams from 53 different associations. This is whittled down to 36 for the league phase via the qualifying rounds, which kicked off in early-to-mid July.

Teams reaching the final will play either 17 or 15 matches in the UEFA Champions League this season (excluding the qualifying rounds), depending on whether they were involved in the knockout playoffs phase immediately after the league phase.

Stade Brest and Bologna FC will make their European competition debuts in this edition of the UEFA Champions League.

Aston Villa will return to the top European club competition for the first time since the 1982-83 season. Villa famously won the 1981-82 European Cup (now the Champions League) after defeating Bayern Munich in the final.

Real Madrid are the reigning UEFA Champions League holders, having won a record-extending 15th title last season.

UEFA Champions League Iconic Moments

The Miracle of Istanbul – 2005

Three-nil down at half time to AC Milan, Liverpool appeared dead and buried in the Champions League final in Istanbul in 2005. However, the Reds staged an incredible comeback to 3-3 via goals from Steven Gerrard, Vladimir Smicer and Xabi Alonso, forced extra time and ultimately triumphed on penalties.

Manchester United’s comeback in Barcelona – 1999

Perhaps the most famous last-gasp comeback in Champions League final history saw Manchester United defeat Bayern Munich 2-1 in Barcelona thanks to injury-time goals from Teddy Sheringham and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer. The Red Devils’ triumph also completed a legendary ‘treble’ of Champions League, Premier League and FA Cup trophies.

Zidane’s jaw-dropping volley – 2002

Arguably the most technically-perfect volleyed goal in the sport’s history came from the left foot of Real Madrid legend Zinedine Zidane. The Frenchman crashed home a looping cross from the left flank for what proved the winning goal for ‘Los Blancos’ against Bayer Leverkusen in the Champions League final at Hampden Park in 2002.