Champions League season 2024/25: what you need to know after the change of format

The UEFA Champions League has been overhauled for the 2024/25 season, with the number of matches in the new format increasing from 125 to 189. The total number of teams in the UEFA Champions League will increase from 32 to 36 under the new format, with the biggest change being the move from the traditional group stage to a single league stage involving all teams.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin

Each club will be guaranteed a minimum of eight league stage matches (four home, four away) against eight different opponents, as opposed to the previous six home and away matches against three teams. To determine the eight different opponents, teams will first be divided into four seeding groups. Each team will be drawn to play two opponents in each bracket, one game at home against one team in each bracket and one game on the road. The top eight teams in the league stage will automatically advance to the knockout stage (Round of 16), while teams ranked 9th through 24th will play a two-legged playoff for a spot in the Round of 16. Teams ranked 25th to 36th will be eliminated from the competition.

The league phase will be completed at the end of January instead of December, and several weeks of the schedule will be dedicated to the Champions League, during which time no other European matches will be played. The eventual winners will play 17 matches throughout the competition, with Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday matches becoming the new norm in Europe’s top club competitions. The draw for the league phase will take place on August 29.

The UEFA Champions League League fixture list for the 2024/25 season is as follows

Matchday 1: September 17-19, 2024

Matchday 2: October 1-2, 2024

Matchday 3: October 22/23, 2024

Matchday 4: November 5-6, 2024

Matchday 5: November 26/27, 2024

Matchday 6: December 10/11, 2024

Matchday 7: January 21/22, 2025

Matchday 8: January 29, 2025

Knockout Round Playoffs: February 11/12, 2025 and February