Champions League: New Format, Draw and Keys to the 2024-25 Tournament

The Champions League is Renewed: Everything You Need to Know

The UEFA Champions League returns with a renewed format, ready for its second season in the league phase. Here’s a detailed guide to understanding the modifications and how they will impact the tournament.

The image shows the stage ready for the Champions League draw.The most significant change is the group stage format. Instead of the traditional eight groups of four teams, we now have a “League Phase” with 36 teams in a single table.

How Does the New Format Work?

• Each team will play eight matches: four at home and four away.
• The teams ranked between positions 25 and 36 will be eliminated in January.
• The teams placed between positions 9 and 24 will play a play-off phase in February to access the round of 16.
• The top eight teams will advance directly to the round of 16, which will be played in March.

Once eliminated, the teams will not be able to access the Europa League or the Conference League. Starting from the play-offs, the competition maintains the double-legged tie format until the semi-finals, with a single-match final.

The Draw and the Creation of the Matches

The draw, which took place on Thursday, August 28, defined the eight matches for each of the 36 participants. The draw times were as follows:

• Start of Pot 1: 5:31 p.m. UK / 12:31 p.m. ET
• Start of Pot 2: 5:44 p.m. UK / 12:44 p.m. ET
• Start of Pot 3: 5:55 p.m. UK / 12:55 p.m. ET
• Start of Pot 4: 6:03 p.m. UK / 13:03 p.m. ET
• Draw completed: 6:08 p.m. UK / 13:08 p.m. ET

Although the appearance of the draw has not changed drastically, important adjustments were introduced due to the increase in teams.

Changes in the Pots

Previously, Pot 1 included the Champions League and Europa League champions, as well as the champions of the six most important national leagues. Now, only the Champions League champion (Paris Saint-Germain) is automatically placed in Pot 1. The rest of the teams are ordered according to the UEFA club coefficient, which evaluates the European performance of the clubs in the last five seasons.

The new format reduces the importance of the hype surrounding a team, as they will face two rivals from their own pot. Previously, being in Pot 1 offered a more favorable draw, avoiding clashes with the strongest teams in the group stage.

Composition of the Bass Drums

Pot 1:

• Paris Saint-Germain
• Real Madrid
• Manchester City
• Bayern Munich
• Liverpool
• Internazionale
• Chelsea
• Borussia Dortmund
• Barcelona

Pot 2:

• Arsenal
• Bayer Leverkusen
• Atlético Madrid
• Benfica
• Atalanta
• Villarreal
• Juventus
• Eintracht Frankfurt
• Club Brugge

Pot 3:

• Tottenham Hotspur
• PSV Eindhoven
• Ajax
• Napoli
• Sporting CP
• Olympiacos
• Slavia Prague
• Bodo/Glimt
• Marseille

Pot 4:

• F.C. Copenhagen
• AS Monaco
• Galatasaray
• Union St.-Gilloise
• FK Qarabag
• Athletic Club
• Newcastle United
• Pafos
• Kairat Almaty

Sweepstake Restrictions

The draw is governed by two fundamental principles:

• No club can face another from the same league.
• A club can play against a maximum of two teams from the same country.

Due to the presence of six Premier League teams in the Champions League, UEFA implemented measures to avoid “block” situations. This means that English clubs cannot face each other, and non-English teams in Pot 1 must play against two Premier League teams. This could result in more difficult matchups for teams like Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Inter Milan, Paris Saint-Germain, and Real Madrid.

Raffle Format

Unlike previous seasons, the draw is carried out using a computer system that randomly selects the eight opponents for each club, ensuring that the restrictions are met. The draw begins with Pot 1 and ends with Pot 4.

Match Schedule

The matches will be played at two main times: 5:45 p.m. UK / 12:45 p.m. ET and 8 p.m. UK / 3 p.m. ET. The last matchday of the league phase will have all matches at 8 p.m. UK / 3 p.m. ET. UEFA has extended the European calendar to ten midweek matchdays, instead of the previous six. The Champions League will occupy eight matchdays, leaving two weeks for the Europa League and the Conference League. The Champions League group stage will end in January, with six matchdays before Christmas and the last two in January.

Elimination Phases and the Match Format

The draw for the qualifiers is reduced to two events: one for the play-offs (January 30) and another for the round of 16 (February 27), which will complete the competition bracket. There is no country protection, which means that teams from the same nation could face each other in the round of 16. The strength of the teams in the expanded tournament could generate exciting matches in the early rounds. The January 30th draw will define the play-offs, with each team ranked between 9th and 24th place having two possible opponents. The February 27th draw will define the round of 16, with the teams ranked between 1st and 8th place.

Home Field Advantage in the Qualifiers

UEFA modified the allocation of home advantage in the qualifiers. Teams ranked between 1st and 4th place will be guaranteed to play the second leg at home in the round of 16 and quarter-finals. Teams ranked 1st and 2nd will also have priority in the semi-finals. This change could affect the order of the semi-finals and benefit teams that are not in the top positions.