Champions League 2024-2025: the schedule and the new rules explained

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Champions League 2024 2025 the schedule and the new rules explained

The 2024-2025 Champions League, which begins this Tuesday evening with gala matches, is in turmoil. We explain everything to you.

The Champions League is undergoing a revolution for the 2024-2025 season. With an increase from 32 to 36 teams and the end of the group stages, the new version imagined by UEFA profoundly changes the premier club competition. Designed to kill the rival “Super League” project in the bud, the new formula Champions League could therefore surprise.

Before the launch of this 2024-2025 Champions League, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin had humorously cut Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s slack when the great Swede was about to pronounce the name “Super League” in a presentation clip at the end of August. Because the barely veiled aim of this new format is to cut the grass under the feet of the promoters of a competition limited to the biggest in Europe. The new formula Champions League intends to offer some very enticing matches from the first day, which begins this Tuesday, September 17, 2024.

What are the new Champions League rules?

The Champions League will therefore lose its group stage in 2024-2025. This will be transformed into a “regular season”, with a single ranking. For the first stage of this new generation Champions League, each team must play 8 matches (compared to 6 previously), with a different opponent each time. This also means the end of the two-legged match system, characteristic of previous versions. The matches were decided by a draw carried out at the end of August and based on a system of hats, allowing a certain fairness to be preserved in the matches.

The Champions League then returns to a semblance of normality at the end of this mini championship. Only a semblance since the teams that finished in the first 8 places qualify directly for the round of 16, with the teams ranked between 9th and 24th places, who will have to go through play-offs in a two-legged format. Previously, the final phase of the Champions League began directly with the quarter-finals.

Another notable difference: the lowest ranked teams (between places 25 and 36) are eliminated from the competition and none of them are drafted into the Europa League. On the other hand, the draw for the final phase also changes and takes place with a seeding system. Thus, the leader in the ranking cannot 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, etc.

An enticing program for the first day

Just for this first day, exceptionally scheduled over three evenings to popularize the new formula, the matches are mouth-watering: AC Milan – Liverpool on Tuesday, Manchester City – Inter Milan Wednesday, Atlético Madrid – Leipzig and Monaco – FC Barcelona Thursday (9:00 p.m. for all four).

But the gourmet can also choose to follow the real Madrid Kylian Mbappé’s match against Stuttgart (Tuesday 9:00 p.m.), Juventus of former Parisian Thiago Motta, now coach, against PSV Eindhoven (Tuesday 6:45 p.m.) or the impressive Bayer Leverkusen of Xabi Alonso away to Feyenoord Rotterdam (Thursday 6:45 p.m.).

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, will be played simultaneously on a single Wednesday evening.

What matches for French clubs?

Four Ligue 1 clubs will be taking to the track with probably very different destinies. PSG is aiming for the top 8 but has inherited one of the most difficult draws. On Wednesday at the Parc des Princes (9:00 p.m.), it will be able to gauge itself against a novice team at this level, Girona, who took on water against Barcelona (4-1) on Sunday. The Catalan giant will challenge Monaco on Thursday (9:00 p.m.) at Louis-II, a tough first match for the team coached by Adi Hütter.

Brest, a surprising 3rd in Ligue 1 last season, begins with perhaps the most affordable of all their matches, the reception of Sturm Graz on Thursday (9:00 p.m.). Lille, qualified in extremis after having passed two rounds of accession to the C1, immediately has a difficult trip to Lisbon (Tuesday 9:00 p.m.) against Sporting Portugal, who have just won five times in their first five league matches. Here is the draw of the French clubs:

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 complete calendar

The regular season is therefore made up of eight days spread over five months. Here are the posters for the next day in date :

Match results

Find out the results of the latest Champions League matches on each day, from the final whistle:

Ranking

Here is the Champions League standings, updated after each matchday. Search for a team to see their standings:

Play-offs and final phase

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.

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