UEFA Champions League 2024/25: Explaining the new format

Europe’s most elite club football competition, the UEFA Champions League, is back with a new format for the 2024/25 season. Here’s all you need to know about the new UCL. 

Instead of 32 teams, the UCL will now see 36 teams participate from all over Europe. 

In the new format, all 36 teams will be part of one single league. During the league phase, all teams will play eight games, four at home and four away. No two teams will play each other more than once.

In order to select the eight different opponents, the teams will initially be ranked in four seeding pots. Each team will then be drawn to play two opponents from each of these pots, playing one match at home and one away. 

At the end of the league phase, teams ranked first to eighth will directly qualify for the Round of 16, while those ranked ninth to 24th will have to play a two-legged knockout round to qualify for the Round of 16. The eight teams progressing from knockouts will then play the top eight sides based on seedings, which will partially be affected by the initial rankings from the league phase.

The old format will continue from the Round of 16 onwards, with teams playing an opponent home and away in each round except the Final.

This format change has been incorporated with the intent of seeing more competitive games during the initial league phase, with teams playing each other more often than the previous format. This could also enable the lower-ranked clubs to have a better chance to progress further in the competition.

The league stage will kick off in September, though teams all over Europe have been playing since June to qualify for the last remaining spots. Twenty-nine teams have already qualified through their respective league positions, with seven spots remaining to be filled. The final round to qualify for the 2024/25 Champions League will take place over two legs, on August 20/21 and 27/28, 2024, concluding on the eve of the draw.

Important Dates

The draw for the first stage of the Champions League will take place in Monaco on August 29, 2024.

Matchday 1:  September 17/18/19, 2024 

Matchday 2: October 1/2, 2024 

Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024  

Matchday 4: November 5/6, 2024 

Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024  

Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024 

Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025 

Matchday 8: January 29, 2025  

The play-offs draw for the teams placed ninth to 24th after the league phase will be conducted on January 31, 2025. 

Knockout play-offs: February 11/12 and 18/19, 2025 

The draw for the Round of 16, Quarter-finals, and Semi-finals will be conducted on February 21, 2025.

Round of 16: March 4/5 and 11/12, 2025 

Quarter-final: April 8/9 and 15/16, 2025 

Semi-final: April 29/30 and 6/7, 2025  

Final: May 31, 2025