The Champions League 2024-2025 will debut a new format and that generates more expectations than the best competition in the world already creates on its own. Europe is revolutionized by a format that promises great matches in all its stages.
The Sporting News provides a detailed guide with everything you need to take into account before the draw. Find out about the teams, the pots, the new format for the groups and much more.
Raffle | Teams | Format | Calendar
When is the Champions League draw for 2024-2025?
The draw for the 2024-2025 Champions League will take place on Thursday, August 29, with schedule to be confirmed, and a computer software will do it from the company AE Live. The computer will be in charge of determining the rivals of each of the participants automatically following certain guidelines.
In this new “group stage” Clubs from the same country will not be able to compete against each other Nor will one team be able to face two rivals from the same league. The match schedule, which will also use a computer system, will be announced on Friday 30th.
The teams that will compete in the 2024-2025 Champions League
As explained, The 2024-2025 Champions League will have 36 teams Instead of 32, the 29 direct places were decided in this way: five for Italy and Germany, four for England and Spain, three for France, two for the Netherlands and Portugal, plus one each for Belgium, Scotland, Austria and Ukraine. The other seven places were filled by qualifying rounds.
Each team will play two matches against opponents from each of the four pots. A possible scenario for Real Madrid or Barcelona is Manchester City, Bayern Munich, Juventus, Shakhtar Donetsk, Sporting CP, PSV Eindhoven, Monaco and Sturm Graz, for example.
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What is the new format of the 2024-2025 Champions League?
For the 2024-2025 edition of the Champions League, the so-called “Swiss system” will be introduced. There will no longer be 32 teams competing but 36 and the traditional group stage will be replaced by a single stage including all participating teams. Each club will be guaranteed a minimum of 8 matches against 8 different opponents (four at home and four away) instead of the previous six matches against three teams. They will play two matches against two teams from each pot.
The top eight teams in the league will automatically qualify for the knockout stage, while teams finishing between ninth and twenty-fourth will compete in a two-legged play-off to secure their passage to the round of 16 of the competition. Those finishing below twenty-fifth will be eliminated.
Full Champions League schedule 2024-2025
The 2024-2025 Champions League begins on Tuesday, September 17 and will also have matches on Wednesday, September 18. Each matchday will have nine matches, leaving Thursdays as the exclusive day for the Europa League y Europa Conference League.
- First day: September 17-18, 2024
- Second journey: October 1-2, 2024
- Third day: October 22-23, 2024
- Fourth day: November 5-6, 2024
- Fifth day: November 26-27, 2024
- Sixth day: December 10 and 11, 2024
- Seventh day: January 21 and 22, 2025
- Eighth day: January 29, 2025
- Play-offs: February 11, 12, 18 and 19, 2025
- Round of 16: March 4, 5, 11 and 12, 2025
- Quarter finals: April 8, 9, 15 and 16 from 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29 and 30 and May 6 and 7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
