The 2024-2025 Champions League is going to be turned upside down and we explain everything to you.
The new edition of the Champions League is a revolution. The competition will now host 36 teams, compared to 32 previously with the disappearance of the group stage, but the appearance of a “regular season” with a single classification which brings together the 36 qualified clubs. Each team has 8 matches to play (compared to 6 currently), against as many different opponents. This is where the hat system comes into play, allowing total equity to be preserved.
At the end of this mini championship, the lowest ranked teams, between places 25 to 36, will be eliminated from the competition and will not be drafted into the Europa League. The teams having finished in the first 8 places will qualify directly for the round of 16 of the competition. They will have the advantage of being seeded, and therefore of not facing each other in the next round.
On the other hand, teams ranked between 9th and 24th places will have to go through play-offs in a round-trip format. The draw for the final phase will also be changed and will take place with a seeded system. Thus, the championship leader cannot be in the same part of the table as his runner-up. The third will be in the opposite part of the fourth…
Here are the Champions League hats
Hat 1 (UEFA index)
- Manchester City (ENG/148,000)
- Bayern Munich (ALL/144.00)
- real Madrid (ESP/136,000)
- Paris Saint-Germain (FRA/116,000)
- Liverpool (ENG/114,000)
- Inter Milan (ITA/101,000)
- Borussia Dortmund (GER/97,000)
- Leipzig (ALL/97,000)
- FC Barcelona (ESP/91,000)
Hat 2
- Bayer Leverkusen (GER/90,000)
- Atlético de Madrid (ESP/89,000)
- Atalanta Bergamo (ITA/81,000)
- Juventus (ITA/80,000)
- Benfica (POR/79,000)
- Arsenal (ENG/72,000)
- Club Brugge (BEL/64,000)
- Shakhtar Donetsk (UKR, 63,000)
- AC Milan (ITA/59,000) OR Glasgow Rangers (ECO, 63,000) if qualifying
Hat 3
- Feyenoord Rotterdam (PB/57,000)
- Sporting Portugal (POR/54,500)
- PSV Eindhoven (PB/54,000)
Hat 4
- Sturm Graz (AUT/14,500)
- Stade Brestois (FRA/13,366)
To be defined based on the nine other teams that will qualify for the championship phase
- Celtic Glasgow (ECO/32,000)
- AS Monaco (FRA/24,000)
- Aston Villa (ENG/20,860)
- Bologna (ITA/18,056)
- Girona (ESP/17,897)
- VfB Stuttgart (GER/17,324)
The complete calendar
- First qualifying round (draw June 18): July 9-10 and 16-17, 2024
- Second qualifying round (draw on June 19): July 23-24 and 30-31, 2024
- Third qualifying round (draw July 22): August 6-7 and 13, 2024
- Play-offs (draw on August 5): August 20-21 and 27-28, 2024
The regular season consists of eight days spread over five months. The first day takes place over three days (Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday) while the following days resume the usual Tuesday-Wednesday. On the other hand, the final day, full of promise as the slightest action could shake up the rankings, is played simultaneously on a single Wednesday evening.
- Draw: August 29, 2024
- Day 1: September 17-18-19, 2024
- Day 2: October 1-2, 2024
- Day 3: October 22-23, 2024
- Day 4: November 5-6, 2024
- Day 5: November 26-27, 2024
- Day 6: December 10-11, 2024
- Day 7: January 21-22, 2025
- Day 8: January 29, 2025
The final draw of the knockout phase begins with the play-offs in mid-February. Under the current model, all tours are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The grand final is organized in Munich on Saturday May 31, 2025.
- Play-off draw: January 31, 2025
- Play-offs for the knockout phase: February 11-12 and 18-19, 2025
- Drawing of the full table: February 21, 2025
- Round of 16: March 4-5 and 11-12, 2025
- Quarter-finals: April 8-9 and 15-16, 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
On which TV channel to watch the Champions League in France?
The battle for TV rights continued to rage before this Champions League season. UEFA has awarded the French TV rights for the “Big Ears Cup” to beIN Sports and Canal+, which will therefore broadcast the Champions League. RMC Sport will co-broadcast with Canal the two best Champions League posters until 2024 and beIN SPORTS will offer all of the remaining matches.