UEFA Champions League 2024-2025
The UEFA Champions League 2024/25 season has undergone significant changes, expanding the number of participating teams from 32 to 36. This change in the football game has added even more excitement to the tournament. The group stage draw took place in Monte Carlo, where top clubs like Manchester City, Arsenal, and Bayern Munich discovered their opponents.
In this new format, the top eight teams will directly qualify for the Round of 16. Teams that finish between 9th and 24th place will compete in playoffs, while the bottom eight teams will be eliminated from the tournament.
One of the highlights of this event is the participation of Cristiano Ronaldo, who will be part of the event that celebrates his legendary Champions League career with Manchester United, Juventus, and Real Madrid.
When is the draw?
The UEFA league draw is at 12:00 PM UK time, and the Conference League draw is at 1:30 PM. Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur, and Rangers will be in the Europa League draw. Chelsea, Hearts, The New Saints from Wales, and Larne from Northern Ireland will be in the Europa Conference League draw.
The UEFA Champions League for the 2024/25 season introduces several major changes:
- Expansion to 36 Teams: The in the football game will increase from 32 to 36 teams, allowing more clubs to participate.
- Single League Format: Instead of the traditional group stage, all teams will compete in a single league. Each team will play eight matches against different opponents (four home and four away), compared to the previous format of six matches in a four-team group.
- Top Eight Teams: After the eight matches, the top eight teams in the league standings will automatically qualify for the Round of 16.
- Playoffs for 9th to 24th Places: Teams finishing between 9th and 24th place will enter a two-legged playoff round. The winners of these playoffs will join the top eight teams in the Round of 16.
- Elimination of Bottom Teams: Teams finishing between 25th and 36th places in the league will be eliminated from the competition.
This new format is designed to increase the number of high-level matches and allow more clubs from various leagues to compete at the highest level.
What’s the date?
UEFA typically releases a detailed match schedule for the group stages and will announce the fixtures for the subsequent rounds on Saturday, August 31. The exact dates and times for each match will be published later on UEFA’s official website and other sports news platforms
UEFA Champions League qualifying matches are divided into several stages, each with its own set of rounds and teams:
- Preliminary Round: This is the first stage, featuring a smaller number of teams. The winners advance to the next round.
- First Qualifying Round: This round includes more teams, including those from lower-ranked leagues. The winners move on to the second qualifying round.
- Second Qualifying Round: Teams that advance from the first round compete here, alongside some higher-ranked teams. The winners proceed to the third qualifying round.
- Third Qualifying Round: This stage features teams from the second round and some teams from higher-ranked leagues. The winners advance to the playoff round.
- Playoff Round: This is the final qualifying round before the group stage. Teams that win in this round secure a spot in the Champions League group stage, while the losing teams drop down to the Europa League group stage.