New Delhi: The UEFA Champions League returns for the 2024-25 season with a historic new format, marking a significant shift in Europe’s premier club competition. For the first time, 36 teams will compete, expanding the tournament’s scope and introducing a revamped structure designed to bring Europe’s biggest football powerhouses together more frequently.
This transformation is part of a broader push to enhance competition, offering fans more high-stakes matchups and thrilling encounters with elite clubs. As the world’s top players and teams gear up for this new era, fans can expect more blockbuster clashes and an exciting race for European glory.
Here’s everything you need to know about the latest edition of the reimagined Champions League.
New Champions League format
Till last season, the Champions League featured 32 teams divided into eight groups of four, and the top two teams used to advance to the knockouts, beginning with the round of 16.
However, this season will see a competitive expansion to 36 teams who will play in a newly-coined “league phase” instead of groups. Under the new structure, each side will play eight home-and-away games against eight different opponents.
The top eight teams will advance directly to the next round of 16 stage. Teams ranked ninth to 24th will advance to the next round of the playoffs which consists of eight knockout games. The eight winners will compete in the round of 16 which will lead to the quarterfinals, semifinals and the final showdown.
The new format will increase the number of matches from 125 to 189. The new system, according to UEFA, will allow “clubs to test themselves against a wider range of opponents” and raises the possibility that spectators will witness “the top teams go head-to-head more often and earlier in the competition.”
Champions League draw
The draw for the league stage took on August 29 throwing up a series of very heavyweight fixtures with a last season’s final repeat between the Spanish giants Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund.
The reigning champions Madrid won the UEFA Super Cup last month after beating Europa League champions Atalanta will face them again in an away game and will also lock horns with AC Milan at home.
We meet again ⚔️ pic.twitter.com/wuKopXwevg
— Borussia Dortmund (@BlackYellow) August 29, 2024
Along with Girona, the tournament’s rookie Liverpool have made a comeback to the Champions League after a single season and will face Milan. Perhaps the most exciting thing for their supporters will be the possibility of hosting German champions Bayer Leverkusen who are led by Xabi Alonso who is a former midfield player for Liverpool.
The 2023 champions, Manchester City under Pep Guardiola, will play host to Italian champions Inter Milan and visit Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus. Along with these fixtures, the English champions were also assigned to play Club Brugge, Sparta Prague, and Slovan Bratislava, the teams that have never participated in the actual Champions League of today.
Aston Villa are also handed toes at home to Bayern and Juventus as they enter the Champions League for the first time. Scottish side Celtic’s trip to Villa Park will set up an exciting British derby, while Celtic will also visit Dortmund and Atalanta.
New entries to the Champions League
The new clubs coming to the Champions League include French club Stade Brestois who have never played in any European competition before. They will play against Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.
Girona, on the other hand, will host Liverpool and Arsenal and will visit PSG and AC Milan for away games.
The league-phase matches
The group stage will run from September to January. The Champions League matches scheduled for matchday one are-
Tuesday, September 17
Juventus vs PSV (10:15 pm IST)
Young Boys vs Aston Villa (10:15 pm IST)
Wednesday, September 18
Bayern Munich vs GNK Dinamo (12:30 am IST)
Milan vs Liverpool (12:30 am IST)
Real Madrid vs Stuttgart ( 12:30 am IST)
Sporting CP vs Lille (12:30 am IST)
Bologna vs Shakhtar (10:15 pm IST)
Sparta Prague vs Salzburg (10:15 pm IST)
Thursday, September 19
Club Brugge vs Borussia Dortmund (12:30 am IST)
Celtic vs Slovan Bratislava (12:30 am IST)
Man City vs Inter (12:30 am IST)
PSG vs Girona (12:30 am IST)
Crvena Zvezda vs Benfica (10:15 pm IST)
Feyenoord vs Leverkusen (10:15 pm IST)
Friday, September 20
Atalanta vs Arsenal (12:30 am IST)
Atletico Madrid vs Leipzig (12:30 am IST)
Monaco vs Barcelona (12:30 am IST)
Brest vs Sturm Graz (12:30 am IST)
The Champions League knockout stage begin
Knockout round playoff: February 11-12 and 18-19, 2025
Round of 16: March 4-5 and 11-12, 2025
Quarterfinals: April 8-9 and 15-16, 2025
Semifinals: April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2025
Final: May 31, 2025
Favourites to win the 2024-25 Champions League
Real Madrid are favourites to win the title again. They have already won the Champions League six times since 2014.
Manager Carlo Ancelotti has a star-studded team that includes the recently recruited French striker Kylian Mbappe, England’s Jude Bellingham, Brazilian forward Vinicius Jr., and experienced midfielder Toni Kroos.
Manchester City are among the top contenders too and the reigning Premier League champions would be eager to lift the trophy under Pep Guardiola for the second time who could depart the club at the end of this season.
Bayern Munich, Paris-Saint German, and Barcelona will also have their eyes set on the silverware.
Champions League prize money
The prize money in the Champions League are greater than before with a total rise of 25% to almost 2.5 billion euros. The winner will get more than 86 million euros in prize money.
Europe’s top club competition is all set to return, with more teams vying for the prize in the four-month-long league phase. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
