The 2024-2025 Champions League is being shaken up this year and we explain everything to you.
The new edition of the Champions League is a revolution. The competition now welcomes 36 teams, compared to 32 previously with the disappearance of the group stage, but the appearance of a “regular season” with a single ranking that brings together the 36 qualified clubs. Each team has 8 matches to play (compared to 6 currently), for as many different opponents. This is where the pot system comes into play, allowing total fairness to be preserved. At the end of this mini championship, the lowest ranked teams, i.e. between places 25 and 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 not playing each other in the next round.
On the other hand, the teams ranked between 9th and 24th will have to go through play-offs in a two-legged format. The draw for the final phase will also be changed and will take place with a seeding system. Thus, the championship leader will not be able to be in the same part of the table as its runner-up. The third will be in the opposite part of the table to the fourth…
Here is the draw for French clubs:
- The opponents of the PSG for this new formula of the Champions League
- Home: Manchester City / Atletico Madrid / PSV Eindhoven / Girona
- Away: Bayern Munich / Arsenal / Salzburg / Stuttgart
- The opponents of Lille for this new formula of the Champions League
- Residence : real Madrid / Juventus / Feyenoord / Sturm Graz
- Away: Atletico Madrid / Liverpool / Bologna / Sporting Portugal
- The opponents of Monaco for this new formula of the Champions League
- Home: Barcelona / Benfica / Red Star / Aston Villa
- Away: Arsenal / Inter / Dinamo Zagreb / Bologna
- The opponents of Brest for this new formula of the Champions League
- Home: Real Madrid / Bayer Leverkusen / PSV / Sturm Graz
- Away: Barcelona / Shakhtar / Salzburg / Sparta Prague
The complete calendar
The regular season consists of eight days spread over five months. The first day is played 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 ranking, is played simultaneously on a single Wednesday evening.
PSG
- 1D daytime. Wednesday September 18 (9 p.m.): PSG – Girona
- 2e daytime. Tuesday 1er October (9 p.m.): Arsenal – PSG
- 3e daytime. Tuesday October 22 (9 p.m.): PSG – PSV
- 4e daytime. Wednesday, November 6 (9 p.m.): PSG – Atlético de Madrid
- 5e daytime. Tuesday November 26 (9 p.m.): Bayern Munich – PSG
- 6e daytime. Tuesday, December 10 (9 p.m.): Salzburg – PSG
- 7e daytime. Wednesday January 22 (9 p.m.): PSG – Manchester City
- 8e daytime. Wednesday January 29 (9 p.m.): Stuttgart – PSG
Lille
- 1st day. Tuesday September 17 (9 p.m.): Sporting Portugal – Lille.
- 2e daytime. Wednesday October 2 (9 p.m.): Lille – Real Madrid.
- 3e daytime. Wednesday October 23 (9 p.m.): Atlético Madrid – Lille.
- 4th day. Tuesday November 5 (9 p.m.): Lille – Juventus.
- 5th day. Wednesday, November 27 (9 p.m.): Bologna – Lille.
- 6th day. Wednesday, December 11 (6:45 p.m.): Lille -Sturm Graz.
- 7th day. Tuesday January 21 (9 p.m.): Liverpool – Lille.
- 8th day. Wednesday January 29 (9 p.m.): Lille – Feyenoord.
Brest
- Thursday, September 19: Brest Stadium – Sturm Graz (9 p.m.)
- Tuesday October 1st: Salzburg – Brest Stadium (6:45 p.m.)
- Wednesday October 23: Brest Stadium – Bayer Leverkusen (6:45 p.m.)
- Wednesday, November 6: Slavia Prague – Brest Stadium (9 p.m.)
- Tuesday November 26: FC Barcelona – Brest Stadium (9 p.m.)
- Tuesday, December 10: Brest Stadium – PSV (9 p.m.)
- Wednesday, January 22: Shakhtar Donetsk – Brest Stadium (6:45 p.m.)
- Wednesday January 29: Brest Stadium – Real Madrid (9 p.m.)
Monaco
- AS Monaco – FC Barcelona: Thursday September 19 at 9 p.m. (1st day)
- Dinamo Zagreb – AS Monaco: Wednesday October 2 at 9 p.m. (2nd day)
- AS Monaco – Red Star Belgrade: Tuesday October 22 at 6:45 p.m. (3rd day)
- Bologna – AS Monaco: Tuesday, November 5 at 9 p.m. (4th day)
- AS Monaco – SL Benfica: Wednesday, November 27 at 9 p.m. (5th day)
- Arsenal – AS Monaco: Wednesday December 11 at 9 p.m. (6th day)
- AS Monaco – Aston Villa: Tuesday January 21 at 6:45 p.m. (7th day)
- Inter Milan – AS Monaco: Wednesday January 29 at 9 p.m. (8th day)
The final table of the knockout phase begins with the play-offs in mid-February. In the current model, all rounds are held on Tuesdays and Wednesdays. The grand final is held in Munich on Saturday, May 31, 2025.
- Play-off draw: January 31, 2025
- Play-offs for the knockout phase: 11-12 and 18-19 February 2025
- Full table draw: February 21, 2025
- Round of 16: 4-5 and 11-12 March 2025
- Quarter-finals: 8-9 and 15-16 April 2025
- Semi-finals: April 29-30 and May 6-7, 2025
- Final: May 31, 2025
On which TV channel can you watch the Champions League in France?
The battle for TV rights continued to rage ahead of this Champions League season. UEFA awarded the French TV rights for the “Cup with the Big Ears” to beIN Sports and Canal+, which will thus ensure the broadcasting of the Champions League.