Before the drama of Euro 2024, Real Madrid won the UEFA Champions League for the 15th time when they beat Borussia Dortmund.
Since then Real have strengthened their team with the free signing of French superstar Kylian Mbappé after his contract with PSG expired.
Despite this move and being the holders the side from the Spanish capital are second favourites to lift the trophy in May.
Premier League Champions Manchester City are the favourites with Arsenal and Bayern as third and fourth favourites respectively.
The draw for the new Champions League format takes place at 18:00 CET and can be watched in the UK on TNT alternatively it is live on TNT’s YouTube channel as well as on UEFA.com.
2024/25 league phase qualifiers
England (4): Arsenal, Aston Villa, Liverpool, Man City
Spain (4): Atlético de Madrid, Barcelona, Girona, Real Madrid
Germany (5): Bayern, Dortmund, Leipzig, Leverkusen, Stuttgart
Italy (5): Atalanta, Bologna, Inter, Juventus, Milan
France (4): Brest, Lille, Monaco, Paris Saint-Germain
Austria (2): Salzburg, Sturm Graz
Netherlands (2): Feyenoord, PSV Eindhoven
Portugal (2): Benfica, Sporting CP
Belgium (1): Club Brugge
Croatia (1): GNK Dinamo
Czechia (1): Sparta Praha
Scotland (1): Celtic
Serbia (1): Crvena Zvezda
Slovakia (1): Slovan Bratislava
Switzerland (1): Young Boys
Ukraine (1): Shakhtar Donetsk
The Pots
HOW TO REACH THE KNOCKOUT STAGE
The results of each match will contribute to the overall standings of the 36 participating teams. The top eight teams in the single-league phase will advance directly to the Round of 16.
Teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will compete in knockout play-offs, with home and away matches, to fill the remaining spots in the Round of 16. In these playoffs, teams ranked 9th to 16th will be seeded and will generally play the second leg of their tie at home. Teams ranked 25th and below will be automatically eliminated, with no chance of redemption in the UEFA Europa League.
The draw to determine the Round of 16 matchups will also set the path for teams through to the final, thus completing the entire knockout bracket.
THE DATES
The first matchday of the single-league phase of the competition will begin on 17 September, while the eighth and final matchday of this phase will take place on 29 January 2025.
Here are all the dates for the single-league phase of the upcoming UEFA Champions League:
- Matchday 1: 17–19 September 2024
- Matchday 2: 1/2 October 2024
- Matchday 3: 22/23 October 2024
- Matchday 4: 5/6 November 2024
- Matchday 5: 26/27 November 2024
- Matchday 6: 10/11 December 2024
- Matchday 7: 21/22 January 2025
- Matchday 8: 29 January 2025
After the playoffs, which will be drawn in Nyon on 31 January 2025 and played on 11-12 February (first leg) and 18-19 February (second leg), there will be the final draw, which will determine the pairings for the Round of 16 and the rest of the knockout stage, also in Nyon, on 21 February 2025.
As for the final stages of the tournament, the Round of 16 will take place on 4-5 March (first leg) and 11-12 March (second leg), while the quarter-finals will be on 8-9 April (first leg) and 15-16 April (second leg). The semi-finals will be played on 29-30 April (first leg) and 6-7 May (second leg).
THE FINAL
The final act of the UEFA Champions League 2024-25 will be played at the Allianz Arena in Munich on 31 May 2025. This will be the fifth final held in Munich in the history of the competition and the second at the Allianz Arena, following the 2012 final.
