New Delhi: The highly anticipated UEFA Champions League 2024/25 draw is set to take place in Monaco on Thursday, August 29. While many were content with the familiar old-school group stage format, the Union of European Football Associations has opted to change it for the upcoming edition. The league phase draw gets underway at 9:30 pm IST.
The prestigious UEFA Competition will be staged under a 36-team league phase format. The governing body is opting for a ‘Swiss Model’ shifting away from the group stage in favour of a league table.
There will be a lot of excitement leading up to the draw as supporters can’t wait to watch their beloved teams play under the new system. Top teams like Manchester City, Real Madrid, Bayern Munich, and Paris Saint-Germain might be drawn into the same table in 2024–25, making it the most intriguing Champions League draw in history.
Real Madrid are the reigning champions who won earlier in 2024 against Borussia Dortmund at Wembley but they will approach the game very differently because of a complete reorganisation of the group stage procedure.
The UEFA Champions League’s new format
An infographic titled “New format for UEFA Champions League” created in Ankara, Turkiye on August 26, 2024. (Photo by Yilmaz Yucel/Anadolu via Getty Images)
The group-stage structure which UEFA had used for 21 seasons with 32 clubs has been abandoned. However, the format change means that teams will no longer be drawn into groups. The top two went on to the elimination rounds. There were home and away games between every side in each group and its competitors.
With the new system, all 36 clubs play eight games against eight different opponents in a single-standings league. Teams ranked ninth through twenty-four will compete in the knockout stages, with the top eight automatically advancing to the knockout stages. Teams that finish higher than 25th place will be disqualified from the tournament.
In the league phase, teams cannot play against teams from the same UEFA member association and may only be drawn against two teams from the same nation.
How, when and where to watch UEFA Champions League 2024/25 draw live in India?
Sony Sports Network will telecast the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 in India. The channels that will stream the live telecast are Sony Ten 1 and Sony Ten 1 HD. The fans can also access the live streaming and watch the event live on SonyLiv app.
With the new format of the group stage being implemented here’s all you need to know about the UEFA Champion League 2024/25 draw and where to watch it in India. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
