Frank Christian
UEFA made changes to the Champions League, Europa League, and Conference League for the 2024/25 season, introducing a Swiss Model format. The Champions League now includes 36 teams, with additional spots awarded to high-performing leagues like Germany and Italy. Notably, the Premier League missed out on a fifth team due to its coefficient performance.
A new “league phase” will replace the traditional group stage in the upcoming competition, marking a significant adjustment for teams and fans. However, there will still be a draw to determine the matchups for this new phase and the knockout stages.
Champions League 2024/2025 Draw Date
The draw for the UEFA Champions League “league phase” will take place on Thursday, August 29 in Nyon, Switzerland at UEFA headquarters. Additional draws for the knockout rounds are scheduled for early 2025.
- Knockout Round Play-offs: January 21, 2025
- Round of 16, Quarterfinal, Semifinal Draws: February 21, 2025
Champions League 2024/25 Playoff Round Draw
The playoff round draw for the UEFA Champions League occurred on August 5. Ten teams progressed from the qualifying rounds, joining Crvena Zvezda, Galatasaray, Young Boys, and Dinamo Zagreb directly in the playoffs. Matches are set for August 20-21 and 27-28, with winners advancing to the league phase and defeated teams dropping into the Europa League.
Playoff Round Draw
*Seeded teams in bold
Young Boys vs. Galatasaray
Dinamo Zagreb vs. Qarabag
Midtjylland vs. Slovan Bratislava
Bodo/Glimt vs. Crvena Zvezda
Malmo vs. Sparta Prague
Lille vs. Slavia Prague
Dynamo Kyiv vs. Red Bull Salzburg
UEFA Champions League New Format: League Phase Explained
UEFA announced the expansion of the Champions League group stage from 32 to 36 teams in May 2021. Starting from the 2024/25 season, the competition will adopt a “league phase” format where all 36 teams are placed in a single league table. Originally planned for 10 matches, the format has been revised to eight.
The new rules state that teams will play eight matches in this phase against eight different opponents, with half at home and half away. The top eight teams from this phase will progress to the knockout rounds, while teams ranking 9-24 will contest a playoff to advance.
Teams finishing below 25th will be eliminated without entry to the Europa League.
UEFA Champions League 2024/25 Schedule
League Phase:
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 Phase:
Knockout Round Playoffs: February 11/12 and February 18/19, 2025
Round of 16: March 4/5 and March 11/12, 2025
Quarterfinals: April 8/9 and April 15/16, 2025
Semifinals: April 29/30 and May 6/7, 2025
Final: May 31, 2025
